Weather experts are rushing to clear up what they’ve called alarming misinformation after a social media post went viral, claiming hurricane season was already over.
Meteorologists at the National Weather Service (NWS) warned that one such post on X, which was viewed over 45,000 times, could lead to people letting their guard down before the peak of hurricane season even arrives.
The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and continues until the end of November each year.
Previous forecasts have warned that the season could start even earlier than that and last longer, depending on weather patterns.
NWS singled out a post that shared an image of a hurricane forecast model with the caption: ‘Look how quiet it is out there! Might as well eat all of your hurricane supplies because this hurricane season is over!’
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warned that the peak of 2025’s hurricane season won’t arrive until September and October.
So far, there have been six named storms this year already, with Hurricane Erin reaching Category 5 strength and threatening North Carolina with powerful waves in mid-August.
NOAA has predicted that 2025 could see up to 19 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and five major hurricanes affecting the US.
A satellite image of Hurricane Erin revealed how large the storm that narrowly missed the US was last week
A post on X claimed that hurricane season was over based on a lack of tropical developments on a recent map
NWS officials in Miami wrote on X: ‘With a lack of clickbait content on the computer models, misinformation has shifted to claims about the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season.’
NWS Miami warned that over 60 percent of all hurricanes that have made landfall in southern Florida arrived on September 10.
‘It only takes one storm to make a season memorable,’ the weather experts added on Tuesday.
The account that posted the viral message on X belonged to a user going by the name @cat5doom.
However, the account no longer exists on X, signaling that it may have either been banned or deleted following the NWS response.
‘This is indeed a fake post and fake handle, likely easily identifiable by the poor job I did with lining up the post’s engagement numbers,’ NWS Miami’s social media team said, noting that the viral post had only been shared 15 times despite its wide reach.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) noted that approximately 400 people died during 2024’s hurricane season, the deadliest season since 2005.
Ken Graham, the director of the NWS, said in May: ‘We’ve got to convince people of the danger.’
The post claim hurricane season was over also urged people to begin using their emergency supplies
A search for the X user’s account found that it had been deleted following the National Weather Service’s response online
Peak hurricane season does not start until September and October, but resident in North Carolina have already had to deal with dangerous waves brought by Hurricane Erin
Graham also urged Americans in hurricane-prone areas to begin stocking up on emergency supplies in the spring, before long lines form during an actual emergency in the coming weeks.
That included gasoline and other essentials such as food and medical supplies, which the deleted post claimed wouldn’t be necessary anymore.
Unfortunately, that viral post has not been the only one on social media claiming there won’t be any more hurricanes threatening the East and Gulf Coasts this fall.
‘It looks like this Atlantic hurricane season is over, though I am sure NHC [National Hurricane Center] will name a few clusters of thunderstorms and a subtropical low with an old occluded front in order to bulk up the season named storm total,’ one person claimed on X.
‘Thank God this hurricane season is over because it’s cold now,’ another X user declared.
Meteorologists noted that part of the confusion has stemmed from the National Hurricane Center only issuing forecasts for tropical developments over the next seven days.
At the moment, the Atlantic is relatively quiet, with Tropical Storm Fernand safely moving out into the ocean, away from the US coastline.
However, the most devastating hurricanes could still be on the way. In 2024, Hurricane Helene struck the East Coast in late September, causing up to $250 billion in damage, particularly in North Carolina.
Weeks later, Hurricane Milton struck Florida on October 9, causing an estimated $50 billion in damage and at least 14 deaths.
