NAPLES, Fla. — Across coastal Florida, the dreaded storm surge from Hurricane Irma — caused when ferocious winds pile up ocean water and push it onshore — was not as bad as forecast. Because a hurricane’s winds blow counterclockwise, the precise path of the storm matters greatly for determining storm surge. In Tampa, water levels dropped five feet below normal, and bewildered spectators walked out to see beaches sucked dry. The neighborhood, near the Naples airport, had been forecast to get a storm surge of up to six feet above ground. In Fort Myers early Monday morning, there were few signs of flood damage.

Source: New York Times September 11, 2017 21:40 UTC