Hurricane researchers placed an array of oceanographic floats and drifters ahead of Hurricane Frances in 2004. One of the goals of this was to study the cooling of the sea surface temperature as the core of the hurricane passed over the water. The strong winds of a hurricane produce a rapid cooling of the water as cooler water from below is mixed to the surface. During Hurricane Frances, the water temperature cooled as much as 1.8 degrees Celsius, with the wake of cooler water behind and to the right of the path of the storm. The water even had a small cool-down in the center of the storm, which may explain the weakening of the storm from 120 kt to 100 kt as the storm passed through the study area.