Powerful winds pushed water out of Lake Erie earlier this week, creating a rare phenomenon known as a seiche and exposing parts of the lakebed usually hidden beneath

TOLEDO, Ohio — Powerful winds pushed water out of Lake Erie on Monday, creating a rare phenomenon known as a seiche and exposing parts of the lakebed usually hidden beneath the water.

Even after water levels returned to normal, people continued heading to Maumee Bay State Park on Tuesday to see the effects for themselves.

RELATED: What is a seiche? High wind speeds expose lake bed in northwest Ohio

Strong wind gusts from a low-pressure system pushed water from Lake Erie’s western basin toward the eastern end of the lake on Monday, according to WTOL 11’s weather team. A seiche occurs when strong winds and rapid changes in atmospheric pressure force water from one end of a body of water to another.

By Tuesday, the water had already begun moving back, but the unusual conditions still drew visitors to the shoreline, with some even walking out on the ice to get as close as possible to the water.

Bob Clemens said he and his wife made the trip because events like this do not happen often.

“We wanted to see the low water levels because it doesn’t happen that often, maybe once every year or two,” he said.

After years of visiting Maumee Bay State Park, Clemens said the sight was still surprising.

“It’s strange. It’s really strange to see how low the water level is,” he said.

Others said they came out simply to experience something out of the ordinary, even if the seiche itself had already passed.

Sierra Copeland said she regularly visits the park but had never seen water levels change like this before.

“I’m still trying to be safe about it, but I don’t plan to search for anything, but if something pops up that would be cool,” she said.

Some visitors said social media posts showing objects revealed by the low water levels helped spark their curiosity.

Alyx Kendzierski said photos circulating online showed items rarely seen along the lake’s shoreline.

“Those photos from yesterday were pretty rad, seeing frames of cars and snowmobiles and what appeared to be even wooden ships, so we were hopeful, but it’s never a bad time to come see the lake,” Kendzierski said.