A viral TikTok video claims that on Sept. 6, 2023, a Category 6 hurricane will hit Florida and the Carolinas. While many outlets say this is impossible, science says otherwise.
You may have seen the viral TikTok video of a woman warning the masses of this impending superstorm, which she claims will reach a Category 6 on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Many outlets, including Click Orlando, the Pensacola News Journal and more, say that not only is the video wrong but that a Category 6 hurricane doesn’t exist.
But the authors of these articles actually got the science really embarrassingly wrong. I am here to correct it with the help of actual science.
@thecarterhouse Get Prepared Now! #florida #hurricane #hurricaneseason #floridians #hurricanerelief #carolinas #news #weather #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Victoria
The Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes currently goes from Cat. 1 – 5, with 5 being the most violent. And a potential Cat. 6 has been on the minds of scientists for more than a decade. In 2011, Scientific American warned Americans that warming ocean temperatures would likely create one of the first Cat. 6 storms in recorded history.
Scientific American even claimed that 2019’s Hurricane Dorian — a Cat. 5 — should have been listed as a Cat. 6. (RELATED: National Hurricane Center Is Tracking Something Strange Over The Atlantic)
The warning was reissued by CNN in 2022. The National Science Foundation is also working to determine what will happen when a Cat. 6 makes landfall in the U.S., but common sense suggests it would be apocalyptic.
There are definite discrepancies in the TikTok video, mostly because the outlets think the original rumor came from an alleged “time traveler.” It’s also impossible to say whether a Cat. 6 storm is brewing over the Atlantic this far out from Sept 6., so these claims are most likely false (we pray).
But the core of it is true. Florida, the Carolinas, and many parts of America could be hit with a Cat. 6 hurricane, and it’s shameful that not a single one of these writers bothered to do their due diligence before indirectly lying to their readership. (RELATED: NWS Predicts Hellishly Hot Summer, Potential For Mass Flooding And More)
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its 2023 hurricane outlook from “near normal” to “above normal” in August, estimating a 70% chance of 14-21 named storms, 6-11 of which could become hurricanes. Of these, 2-5 could turn into major hurricanes. So either way, get prepared. It’s going to be a busy rest of the year.