Tampa residents told to ‘stay out’ as flood waters drain

  • About 100 people were spotted walking on Old Tampa Bay on Sunday afternoon 
  • The body of water was pushed by Hurricane Irma from its normal position 
  • Officials warned people not to venture out there, because it’s going to return
  • The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet deep and reaches a seawall, officials said 

Hurricane Irma has pushed water out of a bay in Tampa, but forecasters are telling people not to venture out there, because it’s going to return with a potentially deadly vengeance.

On Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, about 100 people were walking Sunday afternoon on what was Old Tampa Bay – a body of water near downtown. 

Hurricane Irma’s winds and low tide have pushed the water unusually far from its normal position. 

Hurricane Irma has pushed water out of a bay in Tampa, but forecasters are telling people not to venture out there, because it’s going to return with a potentially deadly vengeance

Some people are venturing as far as 200 yards out to get to the water’s new edge. 

The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet deep and reaches a seawall.

The US Hurricane Center sent out an urgent alert warning of a ‘life-threatening storm surge inundation of 10 to 15 feet above ground level’. The center told people to ‘MOVE AWAY FROM THE WATER!’

The waters retracted because the leading wind bands of Irma whipped the coastal water more out to sea. But once the eye passes and the wind reverses, the water will rush back in. 

Two million people have been left without power and those on the west coast are facing imminent 10-15-foot storm surges. 

Four people have been killed in Florida, including a sheriff’s deputy and a corrections officer.  

Some people are venturing as far as 200 yards out to get to the water's new edge. The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet deep and reaches a seawall

Some people are venturing as far as 200 yards out to get to the water’s new edge. The water is normally about 4 to 5 feet deep and reaches a seawall

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