NOAA warns staff of threats from anti-government militia group
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has warned its employees about threats made by an anti-government militia group. The group, Veterans on Patrol, believes that certain weather equipment is actually a “weather weapon” and supposedly used by the U.S. military to manipulate weather for harmful purposes, the Washington Post reports.
NOAA sent emails warning National Weather Service (NWS) staff about specific threats made by Veterans on Patrol. The emails were widely shared within the agency and were obtained and reported by The Washington Post.
NOAA issues internal warning
NOAA’s central office sent a memo to leaders at weather offices across the U.S. one week ago, informing them about the threats and advising on how to respond. Specifically, the memo warned about potential threats from the extremist group and instructed NWS staff to be on alert. If staff members saw anything suspicious, such as someone approaching weather equipment or acting strangely near a facility, they were told to report it to local police immediately.
Militia leader confirms threats
Michael “Lewis Arthur” Meyer, the founder of Veterans on Patrol, publicly responded to The Washington Post via the group’s Telegram account and confirmed their intent to carry out threats against U.S. weather radar systems, according to the Post.
He claimed the group is currently running “attack simulations” and aims to begin actual actions sometime between June and August.
Disabling NEXRAD radars would hinder the country’s ability to forecast severe weather, including tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms.
The group falsely believes the radar systems are deliberately altering the weather or releasing harmful substances — a common conspiracy called “chemtrails” or “weather manipulation.”
They are sharing photos of real radar sites and encouraging their followers to scout them out, looking for ways they could be sabotaged, damaged, destroyed, or otherwise disabled.
Past accusations linked to hurricane disaster
On their official Telegram account, Veterans on Patrol pushed theories shortly after Hurricane Helene killed more than 200 people and destroyed parts of western North Carolina, claiming Helene was militarily engineered to benefit government interests, including securing lithium mines and advancing a smart city project.
When FEMA staff responded in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, they had to alter their operations due to fears of militia activity. One person was arrested for armed intimidation.
NOAA urges caution, no current danger confirmed
In the emails, NOAA’s central office reassured that they haven’t found any real danger, The Washington Post reported.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
