Circumstances were ripe for a catastrophic hurricane a decade ago. Conditions in the Atlantic Ocean made for the perfect breeding ground for a record-breaking season. And New Orleans’ ill-equipped levee system meant that tragedy was guaranteed if a hurricane reached the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Katrina took advantage of the situation to wreck the Big Easy and do more destruction - more than $100 billion - than any storm in U.S. history. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other capable mapmakers illustrated in several ways how the storm did irreparable damage to the coast. 

Here are 16 maps and charts that show why Katrina became the perfect storm: