Meteorologist Pushes Back on Flood Conspiracy Theories

In a Facebook post, meteorologist Tony Pann of WBAL-TV in Baltimore posed a rhetorical hypothetical - not to explore conspiracy theories, but to shut them down. He began by saying, “Let’s just assume that it’s possible to create a flood event like the one in Texas artificially. It’s not, but let’s pretend,” making it immediately clear that he does not believe such manipulation is possible. His post questioned the logic and motives behind conspiracy thinking following disasters, challenging the idea that anyone could realistically benefit from creating such devastation.

Despite that clear framing, the comments quickly filled with speculation. Some suggested the floods were caused by weather weapons, Chinese experiments, or divine punishment. Others cited weather modification patents or cloud seeding startups, and a few linked the disaster to political agendas or FEMA testing.

Pann pushed back firmly throughout the thread. He stressed that cloud seeding is real but extremely limited, nowhere near capable of causing catastrophic flooding. He dismissed the idea of secret weather control as unrealistic, noting that if it existed, its creators would be unimaginably wealthy and widely known.

His post ultimately served as a rebuttal to conspiracy thinking, not an invitation to it.