TV meteorologist leaves job after suffering PTSD from threats over climate coverage

Chris Gloninger, the chief meterologist at KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa, received threats last year over his coverage, which routinely incorporated facts on climate change

KCCI Chief Meteorologist Chris Gloninger received a death threat after speaking about climate change on-air (Courtesy of Chris Gloninger)

A TV weatherman who received a string of threats has announced that he is leaving his role due to post-traumatic stress and family health issues.

Chris Gloninger, the chief meteorologist at KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa, received a death threat last June over his coverage, which routinely incorporated facts on climate change.

Mr Gloninger previously told The Independent that his goal was to help viewers connect the dots between the global threat of a hotter planet and more extreme heatwaves, drought, and flash flooding at the local level.

“I think you can turn people off if you’re hitting them over the head with [climate change],” he said. “I don’t grasp at straws. I try to find connections that are meaningful and have an impact on viewers.”

On Wednesday, Mr Gloninger posted a message on Twitter that he was leaving his post at KCCI, and putting TV news behind him. He cited PTSD that he suffered following the death threat, and family health issues.

“I take immense pride in having educated the public about the impacts of climate change during my career. Now, I will devote my full-time efforts to finding sustainable solutions and fostering positive change,” he wrote.

“Let’s confront this challenge head on and shape a more resilient future for generations to come. Thank you for your support, and let’s continue working together.”

Mr Gloninger did not specify his next steps but wrote that he was embarking “on a new journey dedicated to helping solve the climate crisis”.

The tweet received dozens of supportive replies from other TV meteorologists, climate experts and viewers.

The Independent has contacted KCCI for comment.

Mr Gloninger’s ordeal began last June when he received an email accusing him of “liberal conspiracy theory on the weather”, adding that “climate changes every day, always has, always will, your [sic] pushing nothing but a Biden hoax, go back to where you came from”.

Gloninger, who grew up in Sag Harbor, New York, emailed back. “I’m sorry, it’s not politics, it’s science, and it’s supported by the vast majority of climate and atmospheric scientists. Thank you for watching,” he wrote.

A few days later, another email dropped into his inbox.

“What’s your address, we conservative Iowans would like to give you an Iowan welcome you will never forget, kinda like the libtards gave JUDGE KAVANAUGH!!!!!!!” the message raged. The threat appeared to reference news that a man had been charged with attempted murder after going to Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home with a gun, knife, hammer, zip ties and other weapons.

“I was getting my hair cut and the email popped up and I just got this sinking feeling,” Mr Gloninger told The Independent last year. “My wife was home, I was away, and I thought, I have to get home. I decided to call the police because it was more than just a mean email, it was a direct threat. Then it turned into an obsession.”

The string of harassing emails continued for a month, The Iowa Capital Dispatch reported.

Gloninger became interested in weather as a child after Hurricane Bob hit his hometown in 1991, going on to graduate in meteorology from Plymouth State University and become a certified broadcast meteorologist with the American Meteorological Society.

Before landing the chief role in Des Moines, Gloninger worked at TV stations in Wisconsin, Michigan and Massachusetts. At NBC10 in Boston, he started the first weekly series on climate change, and reported on hurricanes, EF4 tornadoes, major flooding and ice floes.

The email harassment left him shaken, he said last year, fearing for his safety and his wife who was home alone when he worked late shifts at the TV station.

“I’ve never had mental health issues before,” Mr Gloninger said. “It’s scary because there was a time, and there are still times, that I’m not okay after it.”

Following the death threat, KCCI’s parent company, Hearst, paid for the Gloningers to stay in a hotel while a security system was installed at their home. Security was also bolstered at the TV station, and at his public events.

“I’m blessed from that standpoint in this industry, especially [because] we don’t get that compassion as much anymore,” Gloninger said.

The harassing emails continued for weeks. “I don’t watch your worthless weather forecast because your [sic] an idiot but someone else texted me and said you are still an idiot, go the hell back where you came from D********!!!” one read.

On 15 July, an email referred to Dr Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases who has led the US Covid-19 response. It told Gloninger to “go east and drown from the ice cap melting you dumbf***!!!!!!!”

Mr Gloninger reported the threats to the Des Moines Police Department.

Danny H Hancock, 63, of Lenox, Iowa, subsequently admitted to sending the emails. He pleaded guilty to third-degree harassment and was fined $150.