Meteorologists battle conspiracy theories amid devastating storms

The big picture: Meteorologist James Spann told Axios on Friday he began seeing an influx of threatening messages and conspiracy theories around the onset of Hurricane Helene.

• The threats include messages like "'stop lying about the government controlling the weather — or else,'" he said. Spann also noted that the harassment faced by young women in the field is even greater.

Catch up quick: In several cases, elected leaders have amplified the misinformation.

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), doubled down Wednesday on her baseless claim that an unspecified "they" could "control the weather."
• President Biden called Greene out during a press briefing Wednesday, saying her remarks were "beyond ridiculous. It's got to stop."

John Morales, a meteorologist from South Florida, told Axios Thursday that he has been on the receiving end of insults from climate dismissers, particularly on X, who accuse him of exaggerating his forecasts or even of being a "climate militant."

• "Murdering meteorologists won't stop hurricanes. I can't believe I just had to type that," Meteorologist Katie Nickolaou wrote on X Tuesday after a user told her to "stop the breathing of those that made" the storms.

Zoom in: Both Morales and Spann noted that while conspiracy theories around storms aren't necessarily new, the volume and spread of disinformation around these storms has been distinct.

• "It is the worst I've ever seen, no doubt," Morales said.
• Spann noted that "Clearly, something has changed." "We've not had this level of insanity in the past," he added.
• Both attributed the deluge to social media. What's also different now is the fact that elected officials are taking part in the spread of conspiracy theories, Morales said.

What they're saying: "This type of spreading of conspiracy theories, lies, mis- and disinformation costs lives ... because there is a subset of the American public that bites into these hook, line and sinker," Morales said.

• It also means emergency workers and first responders are wasting time and resources dispelling rumors when they could be saving lives, Morales added.
• Meteorologist Matthew Cappucci told Rolling Stone that "ignorance is becoming socially acceptable."

• "Forty or 50 years ago, if I told you I thought the moon was pretend, people would have laughed at me," he added. "Now, people are bonding over these incredibly fringe viewpoints."

State of play: The spread of weather-related conspiracy theories also takes a toll on the mental health of meteorologists and other professionals working in the field.

• Kimberly Klockow McClain, a social scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said Monday during an interview on Spann's YouTube show and podcast "WeatherBrains" that meteorologists are "all traumatized."
• "We have the burden of knowing — better than almost anybody on this planet — what is about to happen," she said before Hurricane Milton hit.
• To then hear from members of the public that meteorologists control or create the storms is "trauma on top of trauma," she added.

Zoom out: Hurricane Milton brought devastating winds and flooding to Florida on Wednesday and overnight Thursday, leaving millions of Floridians without power.

• While the state was spared the worst of the predicted 10- to 15-foot storm surge, officials warned Thursday that the situation remained dangerous due to the amount of flooding, fallen trees and power lines, and structural damage.

Go deeper: Millions without power as Florida recovers from "catastrophic" Hurricane Milton