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A viral social media post has recently spread multiple false claims about Hurricane Milton, alleging that it was artificially manipulated through advanced technologies like HAARP, DARPA, and cloud seeding. The post suggests that Milton’s rapid intensification was unnatural and resulted from deliberate weather modification.
However, these claims lack scientific evidence and play into long-standing conspiracy theories about weather manipulation. Experts from NASA and NOAA explain that hurricanes like Milton are driven by natural processes, such as warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear, which can cause rapid intensification.
X Post:
Claim 1: ‘Milton is a modified and manipulated HAARP hurricane.’
Fact: False. The claim that Hurricane Milton was manipulated using HAARP, DARPA, or Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) lacks any scientific basis. HAARP, a research facility in Alaska, is designed to study the ionosphere and cannot alter weather systems. Meteorological experts, including those from credible agencies like NASA and NOAA, have long debunked the notion that HAARP influences hurricanes or any other type of weather pattern. The conspiracy theory surrounding HAARP is persistent but unsupported by credible research. These agencies have provided ample data showing that Hurricane Milton’s formation followed natural meteorological processes.
Furthermore, DARPA focuses on advanced military technologies, and DEWs, while accurate, are designed for military applications and have no known role in weather control. There is no scientific evidence that these technologies influenced or intensified Hurricane Milton.
Claim 2: In hours, Hurricane Milton went from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane. Its strength quadrupled unnaturally fast which is proof that it has been artificially manipulated.
Fact: Misleading. While Hurricane Milton did undergo rapid intensification, increasing from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane within about 24 hours, this is a documented natural phenomenon in meteorology. Rapid intensification occurs when a hurricane moves over warm waters and faces favourable atmospheric conditions, such as low wind shear and high sea surface temperatures. Milton’s explosive growth was driven by hot waters in the Gulf of Mexico, a condition increasingly linked to climate change.
NASA and Climate Central experts have highlighted that global warming has contributed to warmer sea surface temperatures, fueling stronger and faster-growing hurricanes like Milton. Such rapid intensification is not unprecedented, with storms like Hurricane Wilma (2005) also undergoing similar rapid strengthening. While the speed of Milton’s intensification was dramatic, it falls within the boundaries of known natural hurricane behaviour.
Claim 3: Cloud seeding is real. (Operation Popeye)
Fact: Misleading. Cloud seeding is a real process, but its effects are localized and limited to enhancing rainfall in specific areas, typically during droughts. Operation Popeye, a cloud-seeding project conducted during the Vietnam War, aimed to extend the monsoon season, not to manipulate large-scale weather events like hurricanes. There is no scientific evidence that cloud seeding played any role in Hurricane Milton’s development or intensification. Hurricane formation and intensification occur on much larger scales than what cloud seeding can influence.
Moreover, modern cloud-seeding techniques are unreliable for controlling major weather systems like hurricanes. Their effects are limited to increasing precipitation, not altering hurricane paths or strength.
Claim 4: Weather manipulation and modification are happening before our eyes.
Fact: False. There is no large-scale weather modification program capable of controlling hurricanes. While weather modification experiments like cloud seeding exist, they are limited in scope and effect. Large-scale weather control remains beyond technological capabilities, particularly for complex systems like hurricanes. Claims that Hurricane Milton was geo-engineered are speculative and not supported by scientific research.
Hurricanes like Milton are driven by natural factors such as sea surface temperatures, wind patterns, and atmospheric moisture. NASA, NOAA, and other organizations closely monitor these storms and provide data showing Hurricane Milton’s development followed established scientific principles. The rapid intensification seen with Milton is increasingly linked to warming ocean temperatures, which are natural consequences of climate change, not deliberate manipulation. It’s important to note that climate change has contributed to the conditions that fuel stronger and faster-developing hurricanes, and this is a well-documented scientific fact.
Conclusion
The viral social media claims regarding Hurricane Milton’s manipulation by HAARP, DARPA, or cloud seeding technologies are unfounded. Hurricanes like Milton intensify naturally based on environmental conditions, including warm ocean temperatures and low wind shear, rather than human intervention. While rapid intensification may seem alarming, it is a natural phenomenon, and linking it to weather manipulation technologies is speculative and unsupported by scientific evidence. It is crucial to rely on credible sources and scientific research when evaluating these claims.
References:
https://appliedsciences.nasa.gov/what-we-do/disasters/disasters-activations/hurricane-milton
https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/about-darpa
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-milton-florida-landfall-records
https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-shift-index-alert/hurricane-milton-october-2024
Hurricane Milton’s Path of Chaos: Tornadoes, Floods, and Millions Without Power
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cx2lyzw7xwxo
https://www.britannica.com/technology/weather-modification
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