When the world around us becomes difficult to explain, it's not surprising that some will feel the need to grasp for answers.
That's how conspiracy theories form and proliferate, and the internet is a notable enabler to encourage the spread.
On the r/facepalm Reddit community, one user uploaded a screenshot of an alarming conversation between social media users that contained a number of falsehoods regarding hurricanes in the United States.
In the image, one person suggested that "retired meteorologists" had said that hurricane events, such as Helene and Milton, were "not normal." While that's perhaps true, given the destruction they caused in areas that typically don't experience hurricane damage — such as mountainous locations in North Carolina — they then suggested an unsubstantiated reason for this abnormal weather.
"Do we have weather manipulation going on to cause election interference?" they asked. It's an unfortunately common theory spreading across the web, with some suggesting that Democratic politicians in the U.S. were somehow controlling the weather to hit historically Republican voting areas.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a non-partisan federal agency, answered some concerns regarding recent natural devastation.
"No technology exists that can create, destroy, modify, strengthen or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or form," the agency said. "All hurricanes, including Helene and Milton, are natural phenomena that form on their own due to aligning conditions of the ocean and atmosphere."
It just so happened that these extreme weather events happened at the time of the U.S. election, leading some to draw connections.
When seeing unusual or unbelievable comments and theories circulating online, it's important to fact-check the claims. For example, the user in the screenshot did not provide any links to sources to back up their suggestions, merely citing "retired meteorologists" without providing names.
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While we should absolutely rely on experts to guide our understanding of major world events, unreliable individuals referencing nameless sources to "support" rumors, hearsay, and conspiracies can trick us into thinking that wild claims are true.
It's important to speak to friends and family about the spread of misinformation, as listening to people you trust can really make a difference in changing perspectives.
"It's not normal, but that's nothing to do with weather manipulation," one Redditor said. "It has everything to do with climate change. Just like Helene. Just like Beryl. It's exactly what climate scientists have been predicting would happen for years. To now act like it's unexpected is carefully cultivated ignorance."
To support the claim of scientists predicting more intense hurricanes, one 2022 article from NASA — among many others you could find from reputable organizations in a quick online search — said: "Due to global warming, global climate models predict hurricanes will likely cause more intense rainfall and have an increased coastal flood risk due to higher storm surge caused by rising seas. Additionally, the global frequency of storms may decrease or remain unchanged, but hurricanes that form are more likely to become intense."
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