These waves and high winds are a hazard for shipping and boating. Storm surge is the fast rise in sea level that occurs as a big storm like a hurricane approaches the coastline. The sea level near the coast piles up because of the strong winds that are pushing the water towards the coast and also because of the storm s low pressure that creates a suction on the ocean, causing it to rise up. Storm surge does most damage along beaches and on offshore islands. The strong winds of hurricanes and tropical storms can cause significant damage.
Winds can destroy houses, buildings, and other structures.
In major hurricanes, flying debris can be very dangerous. Hurricanes can produce very heavy rainfall. Sometimes days after a hurricane passes there is extremely heavy rain. The heavy rains of hurricanes and tropical storms can cause heavy flooding of inland areas when rivers flood their banks. These tornadoes are usually pretty small but there can be a lot of them.