It’s not often that we think of weather forecasting as a dangerous occupation, but this is what Chris Gloninger, chief meteorologist at CBS affiliate KCCI-TV in Des Moines, Iowa, found out when he started to receive death threats after covering climate change.
He announced on Wednesday that he would be leaving the station. He is suffering from PTSD as a result.
“After a death threat stemming from my climate coverage last year and resulting PTSD, in addition to family health issues, I’ve decided to begin this journey ‘now,’” Gloninger wrote on Twitter.
The longtime weather forecaster, who has 18 years of experience including the last two years at KCCI, began receiving a series of threatening emails last summer, he said.
Last summer, he shared a screenshot of a handful of them, including one which reportedly read: “Getting sick and tired of your liberal conspiracy on the weather, climate changes every day, always has, always will.”
“What’s your address,” read another reported message. “We conservative Iowans would like to give you an Iowan welcome you will never forget.”
According to the Iowa Capital Dispatch, police identified the man responsible for emailing Gloninger as a 63-year-old man of Lenox, Iowa. He was fined $150 for harassing the weatherman, the newspaper reported.
Yet the measly $150 fine in no way reflects the toll that the emails took on him.
“When we moved to Iowa, my wife and I bought our forever home right in West Des Moines,” he said during a broadcast. “And we quickly learned how life throws obstacles your way when you’re least expecting them.”
“We learned family’s very important,” he added. “So stepping away from TV will allow my wife and I to help our families in their time of need. It will also allow me to make a difference full time in the realm of climate change.”
The outspoken climate-change advocate had a weekly program on the topic while at NBC affiliate WBTS-TV in Boston, and earned a regional Emmy for his coverage, according to The Washington Post.
Gloninger’s last day at the station will be July 7, the station said. A spokesperson did not return PEOPLE’s request for further comments about the meteorologist’s leaving.
Now, Gloninger’splans have changed: “I will devote my full-time efforts to finding sustainable solutions and fostering positive change,” he wrote on Twitter. “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.”
