An article titled, “Meteorologists Predict Record-Shattering Snowfall Coming Soon,” is totally fake.
It was posted on Empire News, a satirical website, over the weekend.
And on Monday, it had more than 500,000 shares and “likes” on Facebook.
“Chances are you will hear a lot about El Niño in the next month or two. Meteorologists and weather science experts at the National Weather Service (NWS) say that there is a 99% chance that the we will start to see a massive cold-front sooner in the year than has ever happened, which will produce not just record-breaking snowfall, but according to Dr. Boris Scvediok, a doctor of global weather sciences, record shattering snow storms across the board, affecting the entire United States,” the fake article says. “Edward F. Blankenbaker, Senior Administrator of Meteorologists, also told the media that this will be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of snowy winter,” it adds.
Empire News has a disclaimer, saying it’s not real and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
“Empire News is a satirical and entertainment website. We only use invented names in all our stories, except in cases when public figures are being satirized. Any other use of real names is accidental and coincidental,” it says.
However, a large number of people commented on it on Facebook, with some being confused by the bogus report. “The Bible said that we will not be able to tell one season from another. I believe that time is coming near,” one person wrote.
But a few people figured it out. “Ladies and gentlemen ... SATIRE. Empire News is a satirical website. This story is not intended to be taken as truth,” another said.
Others noted that there’s not much humor in the article. “I agree there is little humor here. But what gave it away was the numerous references to the need to stock up on bread and milk. Then there are those names,” another said.
