Computer models show Irma destroying New York City on Sept. 10.
A post on NewsPunch.com claiming Hurricane Irma will destroy New York City is fake news. The Sept. 5, 2017, post said Irma was on a path to obliterate New York City’s five boroughs and most of New Jersey, and that it was set to make landfall in New York Harbor as a Category 5 hurricane at noon on Sept. 10, 2017. The post cites a National Hurricane Center storm projection from Sept. 1, 2017. But the only projection made that day was that the storm, then a Category 2, was moving in the direction of the Caribbean, and it was too early to tell where it would make landfall. The National Weather Service's most recently issued hurricane and storm surge watches in portions of South Florida and the Florida Keys. Forecasters expect the storm to reach South Florida by Sept. 9. Florida Gov. Rick Scott declared a state of emergency on Sept. 4. It’s too soon to tell where the storm is headed next, and the National Weather Service hasn’t made any announcements on Irma’s potential impact on New York or New Jersey or on its future wind speed, which determines its category. The post appeared on the advertising-filled site NewsPunch.com, which contains a disclaimer saying the site owners "make no representations about the suitability, reliability, availability, timeliness, and accuracy of the information." This post was tagged under "conspiracies," grouped with wild stories about the Illuminati and Earth’s impending destruction. The story’s author did not respond to our requests for comment, but clarified he was not a weather expert in the post: "As a layman, I know the models can turn out to be wrong. Sometimes even WAAAAAAAAAYYYY wrong. But if this model is right, then we in New Jersey (where I live) and folks in New York City, had better start preparing to EVACUATE within the next 7-8 days." We rate this claim Pants on Fire! See Figure 1 on PolitiFact.com
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