Hurricane season this year has been menacingly eventful, and it might not be over yet. In the wake of the devastation of three major hurricanes, comparisons are being drawn to Hurricane Katrina and other historical maelstroms. Exactly how do they all stack up?    

The diameter of the storm, and hence its sweeping ambit of destruction, is the first metric to be taken into account. Diameter will often correlate to size of the storm (volume). The average diameter of hurricanes, including their gale force winds, is around 100 miles in diameter. 

Once a storm reaches a threshold of 74 mph, it can be classified as a hurricane by the Saffir-Simpson scale. Dating back to the 1960s, the scale takes into account wind speed and storm surge (rise in tidal levels caused by the storm alone), and uses those numerics to spit out a single number. Those numbers correlate to the potential damage of the storm — one through five.  

This past hurricane season has seen 13 storms. That might sound like a lot, but it's not if you take into consideration that the average number of storms for hurricane season is 12. But of the five of those storms that were major — Category Three or above, three of them made landfall on the United States. 

Harvey was 280 miles in diameter, which, compared to Katrina at 400, was not paltry. It was estimated to rack up to speeds of 130 mph when hitting landfall in Texas. It was also tied for the 16th lowest  landfall pressure in recorded history. 

Harvey left in Houston four feet of rain, a downpour that won it the worst rainfall disaster in recorded U.S. history. The death toll topped 82. And experts belief that all the damage could rack up a bill of $100 billion or more. 

At one point, while Irma was still out in the Atlantic, Irma was the strongest Category 5 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic outside the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico. It hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4, and then the mainland as a Category 3. It had a diameter of 300 miles, and maintained sustained winds of 115 mph. 

Irma's trail of bodies measures at least 61 lives. It deprived many islands in the Caribbean of power, and has caused billions of dollars to the United States and the Caribbean. Current estimates tabulate the cost to the United States alone at $50 billion.   

Hurricane Maria wreaked unfathomable destruction and devastation on the Caribbean and Puerto Rico. It was a Category 5 storm when it swept over the Dominican Republic and made landfall in Puerto Rico. Wind speeds topped 160 mph...but this wasn't forecasted at first. 

Hurricane Maria was equipped with what's called a pinhole eye — eye of the storm that is. The pinhole eye can throw off hurricane researchers, and distort their findings. That's what may have caused a nearly 45 mph underestimation in the reporting in the hurricane's speed. 

Hurricane Maria is sort of a hurricane of all tricks. Not only did it have a pinhole eye, but it was, and still is flirting with something called the Fujiwhara Effect. If it fulfills this, it will do a little tango with tropical storms in the vicinity, creating an amplifying effect that could increase its destructive potential. 

The Caribbean and U.S. Territories were still reeling from Irma's destruction when Maria left her mark. She routed out roofs, cut off power to Puerto Rico, set off mudslides, inundated streets — it was unthinkable. Experts now believe the death toll could reach the hundreds.    

The United States is, naturally, focusing on the relief efforts in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Though it being an island can complicate the delivery of goods and services. Thankfully, there are 5,000 National Guard boots on the ground facilitating the relief. 

FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has been praised for their coordinated response, is also on the ground in Puerto Rico and the islands. They're 600 strong, distributing meals and medical supplies to adults and children. They're also giving out and helping assemble temporary roofing and shelters.  

But the sheer size of the territory affected by Maria has necessitated help in the form of what experts are estimating at least 50 thousand service member boots on the ground. Puerto Rico and the other islands are also still in need of assistance in the form of money and supplies. Vox has compiled a list of charities, drives and organizations enabling those efforts.