Read the excerpt from How Hurricanes Form. Once hurricanes hit land, their speed lowers. This is because they are no longer being given energy, or fuel, from the warm ocean waters. As hurricanes move inland, they bring heavy rains and cause wind damage. The amount of rain and wind damage depends on the size and speed of the hurricane. Hurricanes can reach over 300 miles in width.

While hurricanes are known as typhoons and cyclones in different parts of the world, they are all the same type of storm. These tropical cyclones all form the same way. They form above warm ocean waters near the equator and use warm, moist air as fuel. This fuel allows them to continue to grow and rotate at faster speeds until they hit land. Once they hit land, they usually slow down because they no longer have the warm, moist air to fuel them. Although they slow down, they still move at speeds that allow them to cause great damage.

Hurricane Irma is a recent storm that touched down in the United States, forming from a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean. This wave lead to rain showers and thunderstorms, and eventually, the showers and thunderstorms became organized into a system. This created a low pressure area, allowing a hurricane to form. Hurricane Irma continued to grow as it moved across the ocean. By the time it hit the Caribbean, it was a Category 4 hurricane. It continued to change in size and speed. Finally, it touched down in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane before gradually weakening in power and dying in Missouri.

an image showing the damage that Hurricane Irma made in Florida
© iStock 2015

Select the statement that explains why Hurricane Irma likely caused less damage by the time it reached Missouri.

Hurricane Irma became smaller in size and only hit a small part of Missouri before losing power and dying out completely.
Hurricane Irma brought winds that traveled at a high speed, but didn't bring any precipitation, which meant it didn't cause any flooding.
Hurricane Irma had already reached a Category 1 hurricane by the time it reached Missouri and continued to lose power quickly.
Hurricane Irma had already traveled over land with cooler temperatures that allowed it to slow down by the time it reached Missouri.