Meteorologists are getting death threats as they try to combat conspiracy theories being spread during the perilous hurricane season.
Staying awake for days at a time to warn the public about the dangers they might face, weather experts are increasingly facing opposition from online critics with outrageous views.
“Seemingly overnight, ideas that once would have been ridiculed as very fringe, outlandish viewpoints are suddenly becoming mainstream and it’s making my job much more difficult,” meteorologist Matthew Cappucci, from Washington D.C., told Rolling Stone.
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“People are just so far gone, it’s honestly making me lose all faith in humanity,” he added.
One of the most popular theories Cappucci and other meteorology experts are being bombarded with is the idea that governments control the weather, a view espoused by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA).
Alabama meteorologist James Spann told Rolling Stone he had been “inundated” with messages warning him: “Stop lying about the government controlling the weather or else.
“I’ve been doing this for 46 years and it’s never been like this,” he added.
After receiving a threatening message, another leading meteorologist Katie Nickolaou said she tweeted: “Murdering meteorologists won’t stop hurricanes. I can’t believe I just had to type that.”
“Stopping misinformation is becoming an exhausting part of the job which is taking away from spending time forecasting or sending out other information that could be helpful,” she said.
