# How Much Rain Can a Hurricane Make?

> Hurricanes drop massive rain, but storm size doesn't always determine impact.
- Title: How Much Rain Can a Hurricane Make? · The Conversation
- Summary: Hurricanes drop massive rain, but storm size doesn't always determine impact. Hurricanes can cause extreme rainfall, with slow-moving storms like Harvey…
- Keywords: hurricane, rainfall, hurricane size, hurricane impact, hurricane harvey, hurricane helene, hurricane andrew, tropical storm, hurricane rainfall, hurricane movement, hurricane damage, hurricane flooding
- Source: The Conversation — https://theconversation.com/how-much-rain-can-a-hurricane-make-and-does-the-storm-size-matter-293997
- Author: Zachary Handlos
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: hurricane, rainfall, hurricane size, hurricane impact, hurricane harvey, hurricane helene, hurricane andrew, tropical storm, hurricane rainfall, hurricane movement, hurricane damage, hurricane flooding
## Hurricane Rainfall Impact
Hurricane Harvey dropped several feet of rain on Texas, stranding trucks, people and their pets.
## Hurricane Rainfall Records
One town in Texas got over 60 inches (152 centimeters) of rain from Hurricane Harvey over five days in 2017.
## Hurricane Rainfall Records
Hurricane Lane dumped 58 inches (147 centimeters) of rain on Kahuna Falls, Hawaii the following year.
## Hurricane Rainfall Mechanism
The magic number for surface water temperature to fuel a hurricane is at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit (26.5 degrees Celsius).
## Hurricane Size Comparison
Super Typhoon Tip in 1979 grew to half the size of the lower 48 U.S. states, with a radius of 690 miles (1,110 kilometers).
## Hurricane Size Comparison
Tropical Storm Marco’s gale-force winds in 2008 had a radius of 11.5 miles (18.5 kilometers), meaning it was about 23 miles (37 kilometers) across.
## Hurricane Size and Rainfall
Hurricane Helene in 2024 moved over warmer-than-normal water, carrying moisture to North Carolina mountains and causing catastrophic flooding.
## Hurricane Size and Rainfall
Hurricane Andrew in 1992 was small but destructive, destroying over 25,000 homes with Category 5 winds.
## Hurricane Movement and Rainfall
Slow-moving hurricanes cause the highest rainfall totals by keeping rain over the same location for extended periods.
## Hurricane Harvey Rainfall
Hurricane Harvey dropped 60.58 inches (1.54 meters) of rain over Nederland, Texas, flooding the town.
## Hurricane Impact Factors
Hurricanes that move slowly cause the most severe rainfall problems, while fast-moving storms have lower rainfall totals per location.
## Key takeaway

Hurricanes can cause extreme rainfall, with slow-moving storms like Harvey dumping 60.58 inches of rain over Texas.