One New Hampshire skier, experiencing a disappointing winter of paltry snowfall, took to Reddit to vent about the unfortunate conditions.
"There's a lot of misinformation out there about who controls the weather," they wrote, referencing an abundance of debunked weather-related conspiracy theories that have circulated online. They went on to joke that "the weather is clearly controlled by Jay Peak."
For those who don't know their New England ski mountains, Jay Peak is in Vermont — hence the joke. The original poster lamented, "This season has been some bulls*** for a primarily NH skier so far. I was going to go to Jay in late February but might have to move that trip up."
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Definitely 👍 Other commenters eagerly piled in on the sarcasm. "We're left with crumbs north of the border as well," one Mainer chimed in. "It's time the fat cats at Jay start spreading the wealth."
While it's pretty clear that these commenters are joking, what's less funny is just how many weather-related conspiracy theories have gained traction in recent years. From spreading false assertions about earthquakes being caused by nuclear weapons testing to misinformation about the United States government somehow causing hurricanes to claiming that the entire human population is part of a simulation, there's no shortage of false narratives online.
And while these claims have all been thoroughly debunked by scientists, absorbing misinformation can be harmful when it comes to understanding how and why certain weather patterns occur.
For example, New Hampshire has seen a rise in average winter temperatures of more than 4°F since 1900, in large part because of human-caused atmospheric warming. While four degrees may not seem like much, consider the ripple effects: "Changing winter temperatures directly influence the amount of snow that falls and accumulates, amount of seasonal snowpack, timing of snowmelt runoff, forest health, and soil moisture conditions," the Environmental Protection Agency explained.
Yet because different local mountains can have their own particular conditions and micro-climates, Jay Peak has remained snowy. On that note, one — more sincere — Redditor added, "I've concluded that if I ever get a ski house (which will be a race between climate change & my ability to make a lot more money), it will be nowhere other than Jay. It just feels like literally the only place in the East with consistent snowfall."
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