Publix Hurricane Cakes Go Viral Ahead of Florida Storm
As Hurricane Ian approaches Florida, one grocery store has amended its bakery section to reflect the dire times.
Instead of birthday cakes, Rosh HaShanah treats, or other celebratory sweets that you would typically find at your local grocer, Publix locations across the sunshine state presented shoppers with bleak reminders of the severe weather headed their way.
Images of cakes decorated with the hurricane symbol, storm tracking radar color schemes, and even maps of Florida have quickly taken over social media in the 24 hours or so. Some cakes even have pointed message written on them—"Leave Florida Alone."
Meteorologist Bill Walsh shared an image of a Publix bakery display early this morning, writing, "Meanwhile down at the @Publix in Florida… hurricane cakes! 'A' for creative baking!!! (Photo credit: Citrus County Live)."
Walsh wasn't the only one to spot the deranged cakes. Hours prior, TikTok user @marialola also shared a snippet of her experience shopping at the store.
In the video, a threatening beat began to play as the creator slowly approached a bakery case filled with what some have called "Hurricane cakes."
"Publix for the win," she captioned the clip.
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While these displays may seem rather strange to those of us who don't live in Florida, residents of the area have said this isn't anything new and it's not even mildly offensive.
Instead, Publix loyalists claimed that this is simply the store's way of helping its community prepare. Some even suggest it's an alternative to the wind scale commonly used to rank the strength of a storm.
"Oh, Yes. Publix does them up pretty good, Bill. Worked in Lakeland (home base) and lived cross the street from them in Tallahassee. God bless the Tampa area. Hopefully the rain maker and nothing else," one user stated.
And for those worried about the safety of Florida's residents, one Twitter user said not to worry until Publix adds one very specific message to the cake.
"The corollary is that you know it’s not gonna be bad when Publix starts whipping out the hurricane cakes (unless they start adding 'Go Away' to them, then you’re f***ed )," they joked.
Hopefully, the lack of "Go Away" signed cakes means Publix's prediction of the storm is right, and it doesn't yield much damage. But given the recent evacuations issued for Tampa, it looks like the Hurricane Ian could destroy more than just the Publix hurricane prediction cake theory.
For up-to-the-minute information about Hurricane Ian, visit the National Hurricane Center and Central Pacific Hurricane Center.
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