ORLANDO, Fla. – A video that has now gone viral on TikTok claims that on Sept. 6 a Category 6 hurricane will strike Florida and the Carolinas. The video, getting nearly 2 million views, says meteorologists aren’t talking about this storm.
That’s because this storm doesn’t exist.
First things first, there is no such thing is a Category 6 hurricane. The Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale rates hurricanes from 1 to 5; with Category 5 being the most extreme. This scale is based on sustained wind speed alone.
If there was a storm brewing out there, meteorologists would certainly be talking about it.
Reliably, landfall predictions can’t be made weeks in advance and certainly not before the storm is even born.
Confidence doesn’t start to grow in a hurricane track forecast until the storm develops a well-defined center and Hurricane Hunters have been able to drop their instruments in and around the storm.
It’s important to note that the longest-range model meteorologists have to forecast a potential landfall only goes out to Sept. 1, as of Aug 17.
Predictions on the overall environment and what the steering currents could look like in the future can be made weeks in advance, however.
It’s also convenient that the user picks Sept. 6 for Florida and the Carolinas to be impacted by this non-existent storm. That is right smack-dab in the peak of hurricane season.
Now, could Florida or the Carolinas be hit with a strong hurricane around Labor Day? Absolutely. Unfortunately, Florida has an ugly history when it comes to hurricanes and the days around Labor Day.
Also note that the extremely powerful hurricanes that impacted Florida weakened significantly before moving through the Carolinas. It would be virtually impossible for a storm to “destroy most of Florida and a lot of the Carolinas” because of land interaction.
Tropical systems weaken over land. While storms have caused devastation in Florida and then caused more damage in the Carolinas, it would not be on the scale the user suggests.
As of right now, there are no immediate threats to Florida or the Carolinas.
The tropics are starting to become a little more active. It is, of course, the peak of hurricane season. The National Hurricane Center is highlighting three areas in the Atlantic for possible tropical development.
Still, the two areas in the Central Atlantic will have some work to do if they are going to develop. Dry, dusty and sinking air are still present in that part of the world. All of those are detrimental to tropical development.
El Niño also continues to strengthen, which helps to increase wind shear in the tropical Atlantic.
With that said, the water temperature of the Atlantic is record-warm.
We are also in the peak of hurricane season, so it is important to always pay attention to a trusted source.
News 6 and the National Hurricane Center are two trusted sources.
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