Meteorologists face pushback despite very accurate storm forecasts
Forecasts for hurricanes Helene and Milton were highly accurate. But meteorologists say they have faced unprecedented skepticism and vitriol despite the strong information they put out.
Nearly five days before Hurricane Milton hit Florida, National Hurricane Center forecasters predicted its track within just 12 miles of where the storm later made landfall. Hurricane Helene forecasts were similarly precise: The National Weather Service warned long before that storm reached shore that “record flooding” in North Carolina, some 400 miles from the coast, would be “one of the most significant weather events” in the state’s history.
“The forecasts were quite accurate, and nobody can say they were surprised by the landfall location and intensity of these storms,” said John Morales, a meteorologist and hurricane specialist for NBC 6 South Florida.
And yet, at a time when hurricane forecasts are at their most accurate, some meteorologists say they’ve never faced so much skepticism, hatred and conspiracy-minded pushback.
They’ve been falsely accused, mostly on social media, of steering the hurricanes to Florida or Appalachia. Some have reported threats of violence online, while others say they’ve experienced personal attacks.
“In the past two months, there’s been such an uptick in conspiracy theories, especially on social media, it’s undermining my ability to do my job effectively,” said Matthew Cappucci, a meteorologist with MyRadar Weather and The Washington Post. “People will see an errant signal on a radar and think we’re zapping hurricanes. There are people who think we’re able to steer hurricanes into red states.”
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