A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure center, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. Depending on its location and strength, a tropical cyclone is referred to by names such as a hurricane, typhoon, tropical storm, cyclonic storm, tropical depression, and simply cyclone.

Storm surge is one of the most dangerous effects of a major Hurricane. It is a kind of temporary localized sea-level rise caused by high winds and low atmospheric pressure. Storm surge is what made Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Katrina, the two most-expensive tropical cyclones in American history, so damaging and deadly.

Storm surge is one of the most famous symptoms of hurricanes so much so that it’s easy to forget what it is: the movement of billions of gallons of ocean water. We knew on some level that it was hurricane season, but seeing Hurricane Irma in action is actually seriously scary.

We knew Irma would be serious when even Disney World closed. But things seem like they’re only getting worse from here. Storm surge doesn’t just mean there’s an excess of water in one place, it also means there’s water missing from somewhere else. All that water came from nowhere, after all.

With Hurricane Irma just starting to create her path of destruction in the US, social media users have been left baffled after footage shows the ocean essentially “disappearing”. But still, there are some things that just freak us out like this video of the ocean literally missing from the Bahamas thanks to the storm.

https://twitter.com/elpie/status/906567481044717568

Yes, Hurricane Irma swept through the Bahamas and took the sea with her. In the video, it looks like Irma took a straw and just sucked away the sea. It looks like some dystopian novel where the main character walks in the tad pools left behind.

Watch The Video Here:

I am in disbelief right now… This is Long Island, Bahamas and the ocean water is missing!!! That’s as far as they see #HurricaneIrma wtf pic.twitter.com/AhPAonjO6s

— Kaydiann 🙌 (@Kaydi_K) September 9, 2017

There are fears that the storm surge could flood entire communities with 15ft of water or more. Irma is due to make landfall in the Florida Keys this weekend and then move north up the coast. In any other situation, maybe this would be cool. It certainly looks interesting. But the reality of what this means is what is truly terrifying about this situation.

And that’s not the only evidence, just in case you needed to see more. What’s going to happen now in the Bahamas? Will the ocean there ever return to what it once was or as Irma completely changed the landscape of this area of the Bahamas? At least on that front, there is some good news.