Hurricane Irma is so strong it has literally sucked the ocean away from shorelines in the Bahamas.
Incredible footage posted to social media shows Long Island without a coastline, with the sea water nowhere in sight.
Twitter user @Kaydi_K posted to Twitter:
I am in disbelief right now… This is Long Island, Bahamas and the ocean water is missing!!! That’s as far as they see #HurricaneIrma wtf
Check out the video below:
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The rare phenomenon occurred due to severe low pressure at the centre of Irma, which caused the sea to recede, almost like a vacuum.
The Washington Post’s deputy weather editor and meteorologist Angela Fritz says this phenomenon originates from what she calls the ‘bulge’ of the hurricane.
At the centre of Irma is a big bulge of water caused by low pressure, which has resulted in the strange lack of water on the coast.
It is not expected the water will come rushing back in a tsunami like wave, but will gently return to the shoreline by this afternoon.
Originally, residents of Long Island were concerned the disappearance of the sea was a sign of an impending tsunami, but experts have reassured them this is not the case.
Irma has moved on from the Bahamas and has now landed in Florida, where it will head north up the coastline.
The death toll from Irma in the Caribbean Islands is currently 25, but that is expected to rise when Hurricane Jose hits the archipelago.
There is also the added complication of getting aid to these islands, especially with another hurricane on the way.
It is estimated that as much as 90 per cent of buildings on some islands are destroyed, which could make Hurricane Jose more deadly than Irma.
Florida is currently in a state of emergency and many people have evacuated as Hurricane Irma hit the southern coast of the state.
