NOAA Debunks Right-Wing Claims That Government Can Control Hurricanes

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a statement on Wednesday debunking right-wing claims that the government can control hurricanes.

After back-to-back major hurricanes battered Florida and inland states with Hurricane Helene in September and Hurricane Milton in October, some right-wing politicians and influencers made claims that the government can control the path of hurricanes. Those posing questions over the recent storms included Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican.

“Yes they can control the weather,” Greene posted on X, formerly Twitter, in early October. “Anyone who says they don’t, or makes fun of this, is lying to you. By the way, the people know it and hate all of you who try to cover it up.”

However, Greene didn’t clarify who she meant by “they.”

Entrepreneur and author Grant Cardone, who has expressed support for former President Donald Trump, questioned Hurricane Milton’s path.

“Do you think Gov’t is using technology to manipulate weather patterns & storms?” he said on X this month.

On Wednesday, NOAA posted a statement about the claims on X.

“FACT CHECK: Debunking weather modification claims. No one creates or steers hurricanes; the technology does not exist,” NOAA posted.

In a webpage included with the post, NOAA debunked the claims further.

“No technology exists that can create, destroy, modify, strengthen or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or form,” NOAA said. “All hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, are natural phenomena that form on their own due to aligning conditions of the ocean and atmosphere.”

Newsweek reached out to Greene’s office and the NOAA by email for comment.

When Greene’s post about weather control went viral, a user-created community note was added to it clarifying that existing “weather control” technology is limited to small scale cloud seeding and was not capable of creating large storms or hurricanes. Cloud seeding is a form of weather modification that increases a cloud’s chance of producing rain or snow.

However, the NOAA clarified that it doesn’t participate in cloud seeding or other weather modifications.

“NOAA’s objective is to better understand and predict Earth’s systems, from the bottom of the seafloor to the surface of the sun,” the webpage said. “We are deepening our understanding and deploying new resources to improve forecasting and give communities earlier and more accurate warnings ahead of extreme weather events. NOAA is required by law to track weather modification activities by others, including cloud seeding, but has no authority to regulate those activities.”

Speculation also has been made regarding damage related to hurricanes, as several Republicans have accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of prioritizing funds for immigrants over Americans struggling to recover from natural disasters. Claims have been made by Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, among others.

The claims prompted FEMA to set up a webpage addressing the rumors to clarify that “no money is being diverted from disaster response needs.”