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In the ultimate sign that the tides have turned and professionals aren't afraid to call out Grade A Weenies anymore for fear of harassment, The Weather Channel talked some sense into the Great Hurricane Hype of 2014, and it's downright refreshing.

The Weather Channel is the latest in a growing number of weather outlets both online and on air trying to stop the routine social media freakout over a storm that may or may not happen. The latest dust-up surrounds social media hype over some weather models hinting that the southeastern United States might see a tropical cyclone late next week.

The event is squarely in "model la la land" right now, and it very well could happen, but the possible storm is still eight or more days away and beyond the range at which we're able to forecast hurricanes with any skill. Anything you're seeing about a hurricane hitting the United States right now is almost pure speculation and not rooted in science. That being said, it's worth watching just in case the storm does form and does indeed start tracking towards the coast. Nothing is set in stone.

Not only did The Weather Channel call Martin out point blank, using his own map against him on the air, but the National Hurricane Center sent out a statement this afternoon in an attempt to calm the coastal jitters as well:

Now that we have entered the heart of the hurricane season, there is an increase in the Internet hype around disturbances that NHC is monitoring. Given the long lead times involved, the wide range of possible outcomes, and the historically poor and erratic performance of guidance models with weak disturbances, there is no reliable science to forecast potential impacts to specific locations that would be more than a week away.

That being said, this is currently the top headline on weather dot com right now:

It's technically true, but still teetering on the edge of being a scareline. Ah, well. Nobody is perfect.

[Video via The Weather Channel, screenshot via weather.com]