Veteran meteorologist who went viral for emotional reaction to Hurricane

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Veteran meteorologist John Morales has reported on his share of storms but commenting on the latest to bear down on the coast of Florida left him emotional on air.

The Florida meteorologist, who is a hurricane specialist for NBC affiliate WTVJ, weighed in on the latest updates on Hurricane Milton which is headed to central Florida as a Category 5 storm, likely to become the worst storm in more than a century to hit the Tampa area. The storm rapidly gained strength in the Gulf of Mexico and Morales was going over the details on air when he became visibly emotional.

Calling Milton an “incredible, incredible hurricane,” Morales went on before his voice cracked. “It has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours.”

“I apologize,” he said. “This is just horrific.”

(Video Credit: NBC 6 South Florida)

He went on with the rest of his report but his voice continued to reveal his emotions.

“At that moment on television yesterday,” Morales told People magazine, “I can tell you that it’s angst over the multiplication of extreme weather events and their severity. It’s empathy for future victims because these hurricanes really wreck lives and take lives.”

He told the outlet that just before his live report, he had been updated with an emergency bulletin noting that the hurricane had reached Category 5 status.

“Keep in mind, that was noon Eastern Time Monday, and we had woken up on Sunday morning to a mundane 50 mph tropical storm,” he told the outlet. “So the wind speeds more than tripled in the span of just over 24 hours.”

“Then I’m looking at the barometric pressure, which is a measure of [the] intensity of the hurricane,” he added, “and I’m seeing the pressure drop precipitously. I’m doing a calculation in my head just before I turn to the camera and I start to talk to the camera and go, ‘Incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane.’ And my voice breaks when I say it has dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours, which to a meteorologist, means a lot.”

He explained that the reaction was a departure for him as he has always been seen as “the guy that doesn’t hype things out of proportion.”

“People appreciate that in a TV market where tropical weather is hyped up immensely,” he told People. “I’ve always been swimming against the current, I’m always the guy that doesn’t hype things out of proportion. And yet suddenly people saw that reaction from me yesterday, and I think that’s in part why I apologized. But it’s also in part why it became viral.”

“To see what I’ve known would happen [to] unfold before your very eyes when you’ve been trying to warn people about this and urging action on climate and not getting enough of that — it’s just frustrating,” he added.

In a post later on X, the meteorologist pushed climate change theories and shared the clip that went viral.

“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,” Morales wrote.

“The idea is that we are seeing a lot more of these rapid intensification cycles unfold in the present than we used to in the 20th century and before,” he told People. “If a hurricane is going to be near land, it can lead to a devastating or catastrophic outcome like we’re seeing more often.”

While the storm rattled Morales, he said the outpouring of reactions and support online have given him some comfort.

“The reaction overwhelmingly has been of support,” he said. “That ranges from hugs to ‘You represent me. This is how I’ve been feeling for so long. I’m glad you let it out because I feel that I can let it out.’ “

“Climate anxiety is something that, particularly [for] the younger generations, is extremely real for them, and they’re very concerned about it,” he added. “So to see this boomer react like they might have reacted I think has brought a lot of support and I’m heartened to see it.”

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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.