Hurricane Katrina was classified as a Category 5, but as it moved towards the coast its rainbands near the center of the storm converged towards the eye, the storm weakened, and Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. This weakening was primarily due to the phenomenon called ____.

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Eyewall replacement is a phenomenon of tropical cyclones where the eyewall, the area of strongest winds surrounding the eye, is replaced by a new eyewall formed by rainbands farther out from the center of the storm. This process causes the storm to weaken temporarily as the new eyewall strengthens and the old one decays. This leads to a broader wind field and decreased wind speeds near the center of the storm, which was the case with Hurricane Katrina.

Hurricane Katrina Was Classified as a Category 5, but as It