A viral TikTok is calling out a familiar online claim — and doing so with receipts.
In a video gaining traction across TikTok, creator Lia (@liaandtheworld) breaks down why a popular argument about hurricanes "not getting worse" leaves out key details.
The clip responds to another post that uses selective data to suggest modern storms aren't becoming more destructive — a claim she says doesn't hold up once you zoom out.
The video has sparked heated discussion, drawing in viewers frustrated by how often complex science gets flattened into misleading charts.
In the clip, the creator starts with the facts. She explains that hurricanes aren't judged only by how many storms form or how strong their winds are — yet that's exactly what the original post focused on. Instead, she points to factors that actually drive damage and danger for communities: heavier rainfall, larger storm size, stronger storm surge, and how quickly storms intensify before landfall.
She also calls out the heavy reliance on Accumulated Cyclone Energy (ACE), a metric that tracks storm duration and wind strength but ignores flooding and storm surge — the very elements responsible for the most destruction.
"ACE does not tell the full story," Lia says.
That missing context matters in real life. Flooding — not wind — is what kills most people during hurricanes and causes billions of dollars in damage, often far inland. In many cases, storms are also intensifying faster, shrinking the window people have to...
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