X labeled AccuWeather’s Hurricane Beryl map as misinformation. Meteorologists worry it could cost lives

The forecasting company relies on a team of 100 meteorologists who use weather data from NOAA, NASA and other national sources

AccuWeather meteorologists say X labeled their projected Hurricane Beryl path as “false information” but allowed other obvious misinformation on the site - a decision that could cost lives.

On Thursday, AccuWeather posted a forecast for the eastern Caribbean system that would become Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall on Carriacou Island late Monday morning as a Category 4 storm. “1st hurricane of 2024 may track through the Caribbean next week,” the post said, accompanied by a map charting the storm’s path.

AccuWeather has a team of 100 meteorologists who rely on data from NOAA, NASA, the National Hurricane Center and the World Meteorological Organization to inform their forecasts. The forecasting company beat every other agency by almost 30 hours with a prediction nearly identical to the National Hurricane Center’s, according to John Porter, senior vice president and chief meteorologist for AccuWeather. However, X users labeled it with a community note.

“Official hurricane forecasts only come from the National Hurricane Center (NHC),” the community note reads. “The system being discussed has yet to form, meaning this ‘forecast’ has very little data to back it up and has a low chance of verifying.”

The note caught the company off guard, AccuWeather CEO Steve Smith told The Independent. He’s concerned the note may have confused readers as the life-threatening storm approached the eastern Caribbean.

“The note was the false information,” Smith told The Independent. “It creates confusion in a time where hours matter and minutes matter for people to be able to make preparations.”

AccuWeather was eager to release the forecast in order to spread life-saving information as soon as possible, Porter said.

“We thought it was especially important in this case, because it’s early in the hurricane season...and at the time we issued that forecast, there was no information from the governments,” Porter said.

Hours certainly mattered for residents of the Caribbean’s Windward Islands as they prepared for the storm. Beryl grew from a tropical depression to a major hurricane in just two days, becoming the first Category 4 storm on record to form this early in the season. It is now nearing Category 5 strength with winds already at 150mph.

Officials received “widespread reports of destruction and devastation in Carriacou and Petite Martinique,” Grenada Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said on Monday. “In half an hour, Carriacou was flattened.”

Cars drive through a debris-filled street in Bridgetown, Barbados after Hurricane Beryl blew through the island. AccuWeather is now warning about how its post on X about the path got a community note, but misinformation has not. (REUTERS)

Advanced notice is key for hurricanes because it can take people longer to internalize the impending threat and prepare for the storm’s arrival, Porter said.

“There’s often days of advanced notice, and the way people react, it does take people a little bit of time to recognize that threat,” he told The Independent. “That’s why we wanted to start that process as early as possible with the forecast we provided.”

The AccuWeather executives said they reached out to X about the community note but have not heard back. Now, they’re calling on X and other social media platforms to reevaluate how they moderate posts from expert sources such as AccuWeather.

People shop for supplies in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday as Hurricane Beryl raced towards the eastern Caribbean. Advanced notice is key for hurricanes because it can take people longer to internalize the impending threat, experts say (REUTERS)

Waves hit wind-swept palm trees as Hurricane Beryl hits Hastings, Barbados, on Monday. The destructive storm, which is approaching Category 5 strength, could hit Jamaica as soon as Wednesday (AP)

“It brings up very important questions about how life-saving information will now be flagged by platforms...their actions can’t get in the way of a trusted brand, the most well-known weather brand around the world, providing life-saving information to people,” Smith told The Independent.

Hurricane Beryl will continue to blow west throughout the week, maintaining strength as it travels, the National Weather Service forecasts. The destructive storm, which is approaching Category 5 strength, could hit Jamaica as soon as Wednesday.

The Independent has contacted X for comment.