A renowned Florida meteorologist, John Morales, was seen shedding a tear onscreen while reporting on the imminent Hurricane Milton. On Monday, via the NBC affiliate WTVJ telecast, the 62-year-old spoke on the rapidly intensifying state of the storm, noting that it is an "incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane."
He said, as tears visibly welled up,
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"It has dropped ... It has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours. I apologize, this is just horrific. Maximum sustained winds are 160 miles per hour and, um, it is just gaining strength in the Gulf of Mexico ..."
He finished the rest of the segment off-camera, informing viewers of the same as the weather map took center stage. Regardless, listeners could still hear the emotion in his voice. He later took to X to elucidate his actions, attributing it to the severe implications of global warming.
John Morales says Hurricane Milton is the by-product of global warming, and it's going to be "very tough"
In the rest of the segment, Morales continued,
"You know what's driving that, I don't need to tell you: global warming, climate change leading to this and becoming an increasing threat for the Yucatan. Many folks in that area have just the very basics ... It's going to be very tough."
On October 7, John Morales reflected on his momentary lapse onscreen. He tweeted:
"I debated whether to share this. I did apologize on the air. But I invite you to read my introspection on @BulletinAtomic of how extreme weather driven by global warming has changed me. Frankly, YOU should be shaken too, and demand #ClimateActionNow."
According to the BBC, Hurricane Milton was classified as a Category 5 storm on Monday, having started the day off as a Category 3. Furthermore, gusts of winds are expected to reach up to 175mph (281km/h). The US National Hurricane Center reported that it is anticipated to reach Florida come Wednesday night or in the early hours of Thursday.
However, on Tuesday, NBC Miami reported that Hurricane Milton seemingly settled into a Category 4 while on its way to Florida. The last sighting of it came from 85 miles northeast of Progreso, Mexico, where winds were blowing at 155 mph. According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm was east-northeast bound, traversing at 12 mph.
According to Newsweek, about a dozen counties in Florida have been issued mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders, given that Hurricane Milton could catalyze storm surges of between 10 and 15 feet of such waters. In light of this, the area has been hit with hurricane and storm surge warnings.
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