Final answer:
The false statement is that hurricane names are reused every few years, which only occurs unless the name is retired due to a storm being particularly devastating.
Step-by-step explanation:
Among the statements provided concerning hurricane storm systems, the false one is: "Hurricane names are reused every few years." While it is true that tropical storm and hurricane names are reused, this only happens every six years unless the storm is particularly deadly or costly. In such cases, the name is retired and replaced with another. The rest of the statements are accurate: hurricanes are characterized by low-pressure centers, storm surges are common during hurricanes, and hurricanes can indeed cause heavy rainfall and flooding.
Hurricanes form over warm waters and are driven by the rising of hot, humid air, which creates a low-pressure system. This system intensifies through the feedback mechanism of further heat and moisture from the ocean's surface, with the Coriolis effect imparting the cyclonic rotation characteristic of hurricanes. In addition to powerful winds and rain, storm surges occur when the hurricane's low pressure leads to a rising sea level, pushing water onshore ahead of the storm.