AP science reporter Seth Borentstein has either been spending too much time cooped up in the lab, or he just has a thing for hurricanes. Per his report:

Hurricane Ike's gargantuan size - not its strength - will likely push an extra large storm surge inland in a region already prone to it, experts said Thursday... Ike's giant girth means more water piling up on Texas and Louisiana coastal areas for a longer time, topped with bigger waves. So storm surge - the prime killer in hurricanes - will be far worse than a typical storm of Ike's strength... That's directly due to Ike's size. Experts are trying to figure out when they've seen a storm this wide. Ike's tropical storm force winds stretch for 510 miles, and weather radar from Galveston to Key West can see its outer bands. That's about 70 percent larger than an average hurricane... The size and relatively slow speed means more water keeps building, pushing inland for hours after Ike hits the coast

Slow and big? No coincidence many Texas residents are feeling totally fucked. With Ike, Size Matters for Killer Stormed Surge [AP via Yahoo News]