Billings meteorologist talks Hurricane Idalia

BILLINGS — As Hurricane Idalia hit northern Florida, Alabama and Georgia, it has the eyes of the nation focused on the destruction it's leaving in its wake.

Even 2,000 miles away in Billings, the force of the storm hit close to home.

"These things can change people's lives forever... Hurricane Dorian is the closest we had. We had a few tropical storms though so, we definitely got used to it down there," said Billings meteorologist Luke Arends, a former Florida resident, on Wednesday.

Arends attended the University of Miami and is now a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Billings. He knows these storms inside and out and knows the winds aren’t the only cause of damage.

Luke Arends

"There can still be big impacts depending on how large the storm is and how much water it's pushing. Because one of the actual deadliest parts of a hurricane or a tropical storm can be the water impact, the storm surge," added Arends.

Idalia created storm surges as high as 16 feet in places, putting those who chose not to evacuate in great danger.

"It can be, simply put, life or death if you don’t move depending on where you are. If that water is coming in and you get trapped there, sometimes there’s not really much you can do," he said.

In Montana, Arends doesn’t spend much time forecasting hurricanes, but he says "look no further" than last summer and the historic floods throughout the region to realize that weather conditions can produce similar dangers.

"We can see that too here in Montana too with the river flooding and things like that or flash flooding. With water, people don’t always think about how impactful it can be, but it’s something to consider and it's very serious because water can carry a lot of force and do a lot of damage," Arends said.

He's experienced severe weather from Miami to Montana and says he's happy that he gets to help protect the public from emergencies like hurricanes, which are an unfortunate regular occurrence in Florida.

"You see it kind of in a different perspective as a meteorologist than the general public but down there, people understand hurricanes are a risk, and they’re always a risk and always be.