Marjorie Taylor Greene reiterates her weather control conspiracy theory even as experts reject 'hurricane modification'

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Marjorie Taylor Greene has reiterated her debunked claim that the government can control the weather as millions of Floridians prepare for Hurricane Milton.

The Georgia Republican claimed last week that “they” can control the weather after Hurricane Helene killed more than two dozen people in her state and more than 230 across the United States. While she didn't clarify who “they” were at the time, Joe Biden said the idea of ​​the federal government controlling the weather was “beyond ridiculous.”

“Yes, you can control the weather,” she wrote on X last week. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say they can’t.”

Then, on Wednesday, Greene posted a follow-up to her initial request for clarification: “Everyone keeps asking, 'Who is he?'”

“Well, some of these are listed with NOAA, as are most of the ways the weather can be changed… If your home, business or property is damaged or a loved one is killed by the weather changes, you have not entitled to any compensation?” Greene wrote.

Greene also included screenshots of “weather modification project reports” from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration website.

These projects include cloud seeding, a practice that has been around for almost a century. According to the Desert Research Institute, experts can use cloud seeding to improve a cloud's ability to produce rain or snow. They can do this by introducing “ice cores” into certain types of clouds using aircraft or ground-based generators.

Conspiracy theorists have pointed out over the years that cloud formation is evidence of the government's ability to control major weather events. However, cloud seeding cannot be used to create or modify hurricanes, NOAA said. Furthermore, there is no weather modification technique that would allow the government to trigger a hurricane.

Hugh Willoughby of Florida International University, who previously led NOAA's hurricane research division, said changing the hurricane's shape was not possible.

“Since hurricanes are chemically simple – air and water vapor – the introduction of catalysts is not very promising. The energy involved in atmospheric dynamics is primarily low-grade thermal energy, but the amount is immense on a human scale.”

That hasn't stopped “weather control” from becoming another right-wing talking point on social media, often by the same people who deny the existence of climate change.

Alex Jones, a right-wing conspiracy theorist who falsely claimed that the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting was a hoax, amplified Greene's false claims that the government can control the weather. “The bottom line is that the federal government could have killed the storm in the Gulf of Mexico,” Jones wrote on X.

Greene also repeated the false conspiracy that the government was sending severe weather to Republican-heavy areas and released a map of the southeastern U.S. showing political affiliation by county in areas hardest hit by Hurricane Helene.

“This is a map of hurricane-affected areas with an overlaid electoral map by political party showing how the hurricane’s devastation could impact the election,” Greene wrote on Oct. 3. The Independent asked Greene for comment.

These aren't the only conspiracy theories making the rounds in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Rumors have spread online that the government “geoengineered” Hurricane Helene to take control of the lithium deposits at Chimney Rock, North Carolina, which were devastated by the storm.

Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents Chimney Rock's district, even had to issue a statement debunking the claim.

“Hurricane Helene was NOT geomanipulated by the government to seize and access lithium deposits at Chimney Rock,” Edwards wrote in a statement on Tuesday.

“Nobody can control the weather. “Charles Konrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Climate Center, has confirmed that no one has the technology or ability to geoengineer a hurricane.”

“Current geoengineering technology can serve as a large-scale intervention to mitigate the negative consequences of naturally occurring weather phenomena, but it cannot be used to create or manipulate hurricanes,” he added.

Conspiracies are also circulating about Hurricane Milton, a dangerous Category 4 storm that will devastate parts of Florida when it makes landfall Wednesday evening. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has debunked many of these falsehoods on its website.

These conspiracies include the false claim that Florida is blocking people in the state to prevent evacuations.

“FEMA is not blocking people in Florida or preventing evacuations,” the agency wrote on its website. “FEMA does not control traffic flow or conduct traffic enforcement conducted by local authorities. This is a harmful rumor that can endanger lives.”