James Spann reported threats over hurricane misinformation: 'If you hate me, that's fine'

James Spann, a television meteorologist from Alabama, commented on Facebook about a “society full of hate, anger, anger and an inability to think clearly” after responding to his post about hurricane misinformation.

Earlier this week, Spann posted on the social media site his thoughts on how Hurricane Milton formed in the Gulf before it hit Florida and urged his followers to keep misinformation away from his page.

That information, Spann released, included claims that “the moon has disappeared and has been nuked by the government” and that “hurricanes are directed and controlled by 'chemtrails.'”

He mentioned various conspiracy theories about the weather being controlled by federal authorities to influence the presidential election or that aid workers were being jailed.

However, later in the week, Spann posted a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) page addressing rumors and scams in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

In a subsequent comment on the post, Spann told his followers that he was in the process of deleting it.

“I pass on information from officials without comment. I have no interest in politics. But the threats I have received because of this publication are not good. I submitted some. Some of the most hateful messages I received came from people who had Bible verses written all over their profiles. It is clear that we live in a society full of hate, anger, anger and the inability to think critically. It was very tough today and I'm just passing on information. If you hate me, that's fine, but you may want to take back these verses and your church affiliation. It doesn't look good. This post will soon be gone.”

AL.com has reached out to Spann for further comment.

Various rumors and misinformation about Hurricane Helene have been widely circulated in the last week, such as stories about aid being confiscated for storm victims and claims by former President Donald Trump that aid is being denied to people living in areas where Republicans voted is refused.

This week, President Joe Biden commented on the stories, calling them a “reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies.”

This week's post was a rare comment from Spann, who avoids political commentary other than views on climate change.

Spann has described himself as a “skeptic” about climate change.

“The climate is changing. This has always been the case and always will be. There is no such thing as a “climate denier.” “Some deny that human-caused greenhouse gases are the primary driver of climate change,” Spann wrote in 2015.

“Those who agree with me tend to believe that every tornado, flood, heat wave, blizzard, tropical storm and wildfire is caused by anthropogenic climate change. I don't.”