Florida

Hurricane Irma Is So Strong, It's Sucking Water Away From Bahamas' Island Shore

“I am in disbelief right now…This is Long Island, Bahamas and the Ocean water is missing!!!”

As Hurricane Irma closes in on South Florida, it’s pulling water away from the shoreline of an island in the Bahamas—a weather phenomenon rarely witnessed.

"Basically, Hurricane Irma is so strong and its pressure is so low, it’s sucking water from its surroundings into the core of the storm," meteorologist Angela Fritz wrote in The Washington Post.

One Twitter user posted a video showing a dried up shore on Long Island in the Bahamas.

“I am in disbelief right now…This is Long Island, Bahamas and the Ocean water is missing!!!”

The phenomenon, though rare, is not a sign of a tsunami, according to the Post. The water should return by Sunday afternoon without any great force.

As of Saturday night, Irma was an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 storm, packing maximum sustained winds of 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

It is expected to make landfall Sunday, hitting the Florida Keys, southwestern Florida and the Tampa Bay area.

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