As life in Tallahassee returns to normal after an unplanned leave of absence due to Hurricane Helene and her friends, an unexpected hero is revealed! The MagLab pushed the storm away from Tallahassee at the last minute! Has the nation’s strongest magnet diverted bad weather once again?
So, the hot question on campus is: did it?
We’ve all seen the viral memes about the magnetic fields of the National MagLab seemingly diverting Helene from her path of destruction at the last second to spare FSU, as it allegedly has done for nearly every hurricane since the construction of the record-strength magnet in 2017.
The truth is, it’s actually scientifically impossible for the magnet to change the path of a hurricane. Especially since it was turned off at the time.
However, if you’d really like to show your thanks, I’m sure the directors and roughly 1,400 scientists from around the world doing research at the MagLab wouldn’t mind if you sent them some flowers and coffee.
At this point, the “Magnet saves Tallahassee” joke has become somewhat of a local folk legend, just like the haunted dorms on campus. Tally’s hurricane immunity stretches back several years, and it’s even traceable to pictures of weather satellite radars showing holes in storms over the entire area of Tallahassee.
The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (MagLab) is found just southwest of the FSU campus and houses the strongest magnet in the nation. It used to be the strongest in the world until Chinese researchers broke the record in 2022.
The MagLab was built in the 1990s after three researchers submitted a proposal to have the laboratory awarded to Florida, beating MIT’s proposal.Â
The magnet in question has a strength of 45 Tesla (T), which means that when it’s turned on, it’s about 45,000 times as strong as your average fridge magnet. There are also several other types of magnets at the lab, and all of them are being used for cutting-edge scientific research in the fields of medicine and physics.
The MagLab itself also accounts for about seven percent of all the electricity used in the Tallahassee area. This might not sound like much, but it’s a considerable amount for a city!Â
Even though it looks like our hybrid magnet has turned nearly every hurricane away from Tally, the conspiracy theory that the magnetic fields it produces can control the weather has no scientific basis. But that doesn’t mean it’s not funny to joke about!
And if you want to join Team Magic Magnet and argue about it with the non-believers, the correlation is certainly uncanny, even if we know that there’s no causation.
If you’re interested in the science behind how the MagLab works — or would like to pay your respects to the powerful protector of Tally — you should check out their website, where they post cool research and host community events.
Or, if you’re ready to make it a day trip, hop on the Innovation Route bus. The MagLab offers free public tours at 11:30 a.m. on the third Wednesday of every month.Â
Thanks again, MagLab, for keeping us safe! Maybe you’ll also protect us from Milton!
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!