Four Major Hurricanes from Viral Meme Did Not All Hit the U.S. On August 29th
The Claim
Hurricane Katrina, Gustav, Isaac, and Harvey all made landfall in the U.S. on the 29th of August in 2005, 2008, 2012, and 2017 respectively.
Emerging story
The claim began spreading across social media on August 26th, days before Hurricane Ida was projected to make landfall in Louisiana on August 29th.
Misbar’s Analysis
According to our investigation, hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Isaac, and Harvey did not all strike the US on the 29th of August. While it’s true that all of these hurricanes were active on this date, there is a good reason for that. Peak hurricane season begins in mid-August and ends in mid-October, with 96% of all major hurricanes occurring during this time.
There are several reasons why so many hurricanes take place towards the end of August. The contributing factors include developed African easterly waves, declining Saharan air layers, and high sea-surface temperatures.
Therefore, it makes sense that Katrina, Gustav, Isaac, and Harvey all hit the US in late August. But of these four hurricanes, none actually made its initial landfall on the 29th.
Hurricane Katrina first struck southeast Florida on August 25, 2005, as a Category 1. It then moved across the Gulf of Mexico where it increased in intensity due to the gulf’s warm waters. It made landfall again on August 29th in southeast Louisiana.
Hurricane Gustav first passed through Haiti, Jamaica, and Cuba on August 30th. It made landfall in southeast Louisiana on September 1, 2008.
Hurricane Isaac struck the US a little bit earlier. After passing through the Gulf of Mexico, Ida made its first landfall on August 28th, 2012 in Louisiana.
Hurricane Harvey devastated Texas when it first made landfall on August 25, 2017, in Port Aransas. It continued its journey through the state for several days until it eventually moved back offshore on August 29th. It made landfall again on August 30th in Cameron, Louisiana.
