DISINFO: Tim Walz holds Russia responsible for the creation of Hurricane Milton
SUMMARY
Some Democrats are completely losing their minds to conspiracy theories. The Russians are responsible for Hurricane Milton, claims a Democrat. Tim Walz, a member of the US Democratic Party on Kamala Harris's team, believes that Russian scientists have ‘somehow’ managed to use advanced technology to alter the Earth's gravitational field. He writes on X: I have received irrefutable evidence that Russian scientists artificially created Hurricane Milton. They somehow managed to change the Earth's gravitational field using the advanced technologies that they have.
RESPONSE
Unsubstantiated conspiracy theory without any evidence presented. Pro-Kremlin outlets have circulated a misleading narrative by sharing a screenshot allegedly showing a post from Tim Walz's X account on October 10, 2024 that "Russian scientists artificially created hurricane Milton".
First of all, no such post was made on Walz's official X account. Additionally, AI or Not, an AI detection service, indicated that the screenshot appears to have been digitally altered.
According to National Geographic, hurricanes are a natural phenomena that form from a combination of warm ocean waters, moist air, and specific atmospheric conditions. They derive their energy from the ocean's heat and cannot be artificially created or controlled by humans. Experts in meteorology assert that no existing technology can manipulate hurricanes or alter their behaviour significantly. For instance, while cloud seeding can influence precipitation to some extent, it has no proven efficacy in creating or modifying hurricanes. The rapid intensification of Hurricane Milton was primarily fuelled by record-high sea temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico, not by any human intervention. Therefore, claims attributing the storm's development to Russian scientists are unfounded and lack scientific support. See further reference at the NewsGuard-Election-Fact-Check and at the BBC for related disinformation on the hurricane. For further detailed context, see the recent ISD report on the same topic "Russian propaganda exploits US hurricane response to undermine FEMA and Ukraine support."
See our analysis on how Kremlin disinformation targets US elections and earlier disinformation cases claiming that Kamala Harris serves the UK; Kamala Harris is a Deep State figurehead.