One of the hallmarks of the destructiveness of a hurricane is how much water it dumps on ordinarily dry land. As Hurricane Idalia intensified, resulting in major flooding even before it made landfall Wednesday, University of Virginia hydrologist Venkataraman Lakshmi was tracking it.
Roads washed out and homes and other structures were inundated. Idalia was upgraded to Category 4 overnight before notching down a category as it came ashore in Florida's Big Bend region.
The professor explained how the hurricane built so quickly in such a short time, and what's next in terms of the water's potential harm.Lakshmi, a civil and environmental engineering professor who is a frequent commentator in the media and president-elect of the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union, said that the category of a hurricane is what matters in terms of impact.
Category 4 storms forecast 13 to 18 feet of ocean surge. Idalia was a Category 3 storm prior, as well as when it hit land, forecasting 9- to 12-foot surges of water.Idalia grew because of warming conditions in the ocean, in particular a naturally occurring phenomenon called El Niño, which is born from higher water temperatures. Interactions between water and the atmosphere then begin to shift air currents.
"This year in June, the El Niño began, and as a result there is greater wind shear in the Atlantic Ocean," Lakshmi said."A calm atmosphere helps to create a stronger hurricane, and this wind shear disturbs the atmosphere," he said."On the other hand, in July, the water off the Florida coast was measured to be 100 degrees Fahrenheit—way too warm. Warm waters help fuel a hurricane by increasing evaporation into the system.
The coastal storm surge guaranteed that buildings closer to shore would be partially or fully submerged, of course, and large swaths of sandy coast would be rearranged, he said. But destruction further inland was guaranteed, too.Lakshmi noted that the immediate flooding is just the beginning of the danger for residents. Structural uncertainty is another major concern.
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