During the week of Oct. 15, Roxanne helped create the conditions that weakened the storm.
Hurricanes draw their energy from warm, humid air over tropical oceans.
When the ocean's water is below about 80 degrees, storms begin to weaken. Hurricanes also need a deep layer of humid air above the ocean. To see why, go to a graphic on ingredients hurricanes need. Roxanne's winds pushed warm water away from the storm, as any hurricane does. This allowed colder water to rise, chilling the surface water.