Why Hurricane Dorian's weakening winds aren't weakening its storm surge

Jensen Beach, Florida.
(Image credit: ADAM DELGIUDICE/AFP/Getty Images)

Hurricane Dorian has been downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane as it travels along the East Coast of the United States, but that doesn't mean it no longer poses a serious threat, especially when it comes to storm surge. Parts of the Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina coasts could experience surges of up to seven feet.

When the storm was battering the Bahamas its winds topped out at 185 mph. That number dipped to 105 — which is still formidable — while Dorian hovered about 90 miles east of Daytona Beach, Florida, on Wednesday morning. But the storm actually expanded in size, meaning its winds cover a larger area. That means they're still more than capable of generating giant waves and pushing large amounts of water toward the shore, The Washington Post reports.

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Tim O'Donnell

Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.