MSNBC host Katy Tur questioned Tuesday whether "hurricane season" exists anymore, claiming that "we see these things in all seasons" during coverage of the catastrophic flooding in Houston, Texas.
Interviewing Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D.) about the potential impact of Hurricane Harvey on his state, Tur asked him about his preparedness for future storms.
"Governor, we're just in August. Hurricane season, if you want to say there is a hurricane season any longer because we see these things in all seasons, lasts for a couple more months," Tur said ruefully. "This is a big one. Are you ready if there is going to be another one? Can you handle this?"
"Yeah, we're going to handle it," Edwards said. "Nobody is going to get through a storm the size and severity of Harvey unscathed, and our hearts go out to the folks in Texas, and we're certainly keeping them in our thoughts and prayers and sending assistance as we can."
Tur's statement appeared to be a veiled reference to the impacts of climate change; advocates on the issue like Al Gore frequently claim powerful storms such as Superstorm Sandy in 2012 are a consequence of climate change.
The Atlantic Hurricane season lasts from June 1 to Nov. 30. Harvey is the most powerful hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast in 2005. That also happened in August, right in the middle of hurricane season.
The National Ocean Service states that 97 percent of tropical cyclones form in this time period.
Hurricanes out of season are rare and generally not very powerful; it is unclear which off-season storms that made a major impact on the United States Tur was referring to in her comment.