The Drake Passage: Why is it considered the roughest water in the world? What happens that promotes all the?

Question

storms there?

Answer 1

Fast-moving southern ocean water is squeezed between S.America & Antarctica in this 600 mile wide passage. There are frequent violent storms.

Answer 2

as was said all that water.......

the prevailing winds are westerlies and at great force......the Roaring 40s ( 40-50 S Latitude) the Howling Fifties and the Shrieking 60's so they build up BIG waves......

the world girdling Southern Ocean has no land down there.its all ocean......and waves get bigger the longer the distance they have to build.......so waves have two or three or four thousand miles to build until they get to Terra Del Fuego and the Antarctic peninsula, and then all that ocean is getting squeezed through that comparatively narrow opening.

Add to that the fact that open ocean waves will build, topple and break as they get to shallower water; the depths between SA And Antarctica are 'shallow" compared to the open ocean on either side