IOWA, USA – Chris Gloninger, then a sophomore, was deeply affected by the destruction of his hometown of Sag Harbor, New York, caused by Hurricane Bob. From his family’s home in the small village on eastern Long Island, Gloninger witnessed a hurricane that would become one of the most disastrous in New England history, killing 18 people and causing possibly billions of dollars in damage. For a young Gloninger, witnessing the devastating effects of extreme weather was both an eye-opening and sobering experience. For this reason, Gloninger, a meteorologist who joined station KCCI in Des Moines, Iowa in 2021, has made it a point to regularly educate his viewers about the effects of climate change.
However, some of the station’s audience grew angry over Gloninger’s coverage of what has become a highly political issue, culminating in a death threat last summer. According to an interview Gloninger gave to USA TODAY on Thursday, he decided to leave the station next month partly because of the hate he had suffered. The Des Moines Register, part of the USA TODAY Network, was the first to report the news. when Gloninger, 38, announced the decision on Twitter on Wednesday. His last day is scheduled for July 7.
In his own words, “it took months of soul-searching, talking with my wife and I, and figuring out what the best plan was,” Gloninger explained. There is no doubt that I will miss television…I am grateful for the national and local support I have received from my station. Gloninger has announced his intention to take up a senior scientist position with the consultancy Woods Hole Group, where he will continue his work on climate change and the dissemination of risk information to help communities adapt to its consequences. Gloninger and his wife will move to Massachusetts so he can be closer to his elderly parents. Matt Gloninger, a Plymouth State University alumnus and Boston weekend weatherman, says he started covering climate change and global warming exclusively in 2019. For two years, he hosted and produced a two hours each week on the devastation caused by climate change.
