What Drove Ida: Hurricane Science 101
Warm water fuels ferocious winds that pile up a storm surge
Updated Aug. 30, 2021, the day after Ida made landfall in Louisiana
Whenever a major hurricane rears its ugly eye and threatens landfall, I’m simultaneously awed by the colossal force of nature and worried about the people in the storm’s path. Nearly 30 years ago I began researching and reporting on hurricanes, ultimately getting inside the head of one terrifying but fictional storm to explore the science of hurricanes, the psychology of people affected by them, and to illustrate how unprepared our nation’s coastal regions were (and still are!) in the face of the annual threat.
I remain fascinated by the fundamental drivers of a hurricane’s strength and destructive potential. So as Hurricane Ida was approaching the Gulf Coast, I put together a few super-basic science concepts to help you understand what was going on inside the storm, and what’s behind the National Hurricane Center’s forecast.
Hurricanes draw their power from warm ocean water, which provides the moisture that rains down and the heat that serves as wind-driving fuel. A surface temperature of at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit can sustain a hurricane, and the warmer it is, the stronger a storm can become.
