Baseless Claims Proliferate on Hurricanes and Weather Modification

SciCheck Digest Experts say people cannot create or meaningfully alter hurricanes through existing weather modification techniques. That has not stopped a deluge of social media posts baselessly claiming or implying that Hurricanes Helene and Milton were intentionally created, steered or otherwise controlled by someone. Full Story Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, followed by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9. Amid the deaths and destruction from the hurricanes, social media posts spread bogus claims that someone had caused or altered the storms via some weather modification technique.& There is a real history of weather modification efforts, with some modest results in producing snow and rain through a technique called cloud seeding. However, it has never been shown to be possible to meaningfully modify hurricanes, nor is there any basis for the idea that someone manipulated Hurricanes Helene or Milton. “Hurricane Helene was NOT a ‘naturally occurring’ weather event,” said& some& of the& many& baseless posts on the topic. “This event was entirely MANIPULATED by man, & guided into a certain direction, for a certain reason.” While many posts were vague about who had purportedly controlled the hurricanes, others pointed a finger at the U.S. government. “A hurricane as...