WLRN has partnered with PolitiFact to fact-check Florida politicians. The Pulitzer Prize-winning team seeks to present the true facts, unaffected by agenda or biases.
As of Oct. 12, there were no hurricanes forecast to hit the U.S. in the coming days — welcome news, despite social media rumors warning about "Hurricane Nadine."
As many Floridians waited for information about their homes and loved ones following Hurricane Milton, social media users shared false information about another hurricane poised to imminently hit the state.
A narrator in an Oct. 10 Instagram video said, "Breaking news: Nadine Hurricane expected to hit Florida right after Milton. This unexpected blow raises serious concerns for the safety and well-being of Florida residents. Communities still reeling from Milton’s impact now face another incoming threat. Experts warn that this upcoming hurricane could bring devastating consequences."
A Threads post, also shared Oct. 10, said, "Hurricane Nadine is building its way up to Florida! Back to back hurricanes!!!!"
Other posts on Instagram and Facebook made similar claims about an impending Hurricane Nadine, causing understandable concern after Hurricane Helene hit the state Sept. 26 followed by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9. These posts were flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)
The next hurricane could be called Nadine as it’s the next name on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 2024 list of Atlantic tropical cyclone names. But as of Oct. 12, the administration’s National Hurricane Center had not reported that a storm called Nadine was developing near the U.S.
PolitiFact has fact-checked other false claims about a supposed Hurricane Nadine.
The National Hurricane Center was monitoring Tropical Storm Leslie in the Atlantic Ocean, although it is not predicted to hit land in the U.S. There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect.
The center was also tracking an area of low pressure over the Atlantic Ocean, a couple of hundred miles west of the Cabo Verde islands. This "disturbance" has a 40% chance of cyclone formation in 48 hours, the center said.
"Environmental conditions are expected to become less conducive for further development later today. A short-lived tropical depression could still form at any time today while the system moves generally westward," the center reported at 8 a.m. ET Oct. 12.
In May, NOAA predicted 17 to 25 storms with winds of 39 miles per hour or higher would hit the U.S. during the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30. Of those storms, eight to 13 were forecast to become hurricanes. There have been 13 named storms in the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season so far, USA Today reported.
We rate the claim that a hurricane named Nadine was on a path Oct. 12 to hit Florida False.
Our Sources
- Instagram post (archived version), Oct. 10, 2024
- Instagram post (archived version), Oct. 10, 2024
- Instagram post (archived version), Oct. 9, 2024
- Threads post, Oct. 10, 2024
- Facebook post, Oct. 9, 2024
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, "NOAA predicts above-normal 2024 Atlantic hurricane season," May 23, 2024
- National Hurricane Center website, accessed Oct. 12, 2024
- USA Today, "When does hurricane season end? Here’s when the southeast might catch a break.," Oct. 11, 2024
- PolitiFact, "Hurricane Nadine didn’t exist as of Oct. 10, but a fictional article about one did," Oct. 11, 2024
- PolitiFact, "As Hurricane Milton moved away from Florida, misinformation about a Hurricane Nadine made landfall," Oct. 11, 2024
Copyright 2024 WLRN Public Media
