Shame on Whoever’s Drumming Up Misleading New Hurricane Rumors

I'm a weather nerd and have been watching Hurricane Helene since it was a tropical depression and began moving into the Caribbean. They were warning at the time that this was one to take very seriously, and they were absolutely right.

Helene came roaring ashore last week in the Big Bend region of the Florida Gulf Coast. This drone video illustrates the level of devastation from the Category 4 monster:

Typically, when hurricanes hit, coverage focuses on the hardest hit coastal areas. Helene was no exception. But while this particular storm's hurricane-force winds subsided to below the level required for such a designation, it stayed together in terms of the catastrophic rain amounts. Hurricane Helene has made life a living hell in eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina. Entire towns have washed away. Two major interstate highways sustained enough damage that they have had to close, creating unheard of traffic nightmares in the region.

Misleading Rumors of a New and Imminent Hurricane

So if there ever was a time--and SPOILER ALERT: there's NEVER a time for this--to suppress a need to start a misleading rumor that will create a great deal of panic, now is that time.

After what the southeastern United States has endured the last seven days, why on Earth would ANYONE put something out there about another hurricane in the area if it can't be backed up?

And if that storm chaser's declaration isn't enough for you, try this on for size:

This is hurricane season, and it isn't unusual to see storms forming like this. But, as this meteorologist indicates, they don't all make landfall. That third one, Kirk, is something to keep an eye on, but to say with certainty we're about to get hit again is irresponsible.

It's ALWAYS irresponsible, but especially now.