Disappearing oceans: where did they go?

(WJBK) - Images of stranded sea animals and wide stretches of sand where there used to be water are all over social media Monday in the wake of Hurricane Irma.

FOX 2 Weather Authority Derek Kevra explains the science behind this phenomenon.

"Picture the tropical system like a big sink full of water. When you yank the stopper, all of the water starts to swirl toward the middle. The opposite happens," said Kevra. 

The storm actually sucks all the water up from surrounding beaches and pulls it to the center of the hurricane. It's called a storm surge.

"The water in the center can rise 10-15 feet. The hurricane gets that extra 10-15 feet of water from the outside beaches," said Kevra.