Fighting with the weather

I share his frustration.

Alabama’s most respected meteorologist, James Spann, recently expressed frustration over a “society full of hate, anger, rage, and the inability to think clearly,” following an onslaught of negative responses after he attempted to debunk hurricane-related misinformation. Spann took to Facebook earlier in the week to share his concerns after encountering a wave of false claims about Hurricane Milton, which developed in the Gulf of Mexico before making landfall in Florida. His post, as first reported by AL.com, urged his followers to stop spreading misinformation.

Among the wild claims Spann addressed were conspiracy theories, such as the assertion that “the moon has disappeared and was nuked by the government,” and that hurricanes were being steered by “chemtrails.” He also highlighted other baseless claims, like the notion that federal agencies were manipulating weather patterns to influence the upcoming presidential election or imprisoning relief workers.

I was unaware of that claim about the moon. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it around lately.

Later in the week, Spann shared a link to a FEMA page that debunked rumors surrounding Hurricane Helene. However, instead of appreciation, Spann was met with a barrage of hostile comments. In a follow-up post, he wrote, “I pass along information from officials with zero comment. I have no interest in politics. But the threats I have received from posting this are not good. Some I turned in. Some of the most hateful messages I have received come from people with Bible verses all over their profile. It is clear that we live in a society full of hate, anger, rage, and the inability to think critically. It has been very tough today, and all I do is pass along information. If you hate me, that is fine, but you might want to pull down those verses and your church affiliation. It isn’t a good look. This post will be gone soon.”

Two words. Trump & Murdoch.