A Media Matters review of national TV news coverage of Hurricane Helene from September 25-27 found:

• Corporate broadcast and cable news shows aired a combined 22 hours and 35 minutes across 468 segments about Hurricane Helene. Only 15, or 3%, mentioned climate change.

• Cable news networks — CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC — aired a combined 20 hours and 19 minutes across 395 segments about the storm.

• MSNBC led with 6 climate mentions, followed by CNN with 5. Fox News did not mention climate change in its coverage of Hurricane Helene during the study period. 

• Corporate broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, and NBC — aired a combined 2 hours and 16 minutes across 73 segments about the storm during the study period.

• ABC and NBC had 2 climate mentions apiece. CBS did not mention climate change.

Hurricane Helene slammed into Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm on Thursday, September 26, the strongest hurricane on record to hit this area and the third to strike the region in 13 months. The storm rapidly intensified, fueled by exceptionally warm Gulf waters made more likely by climate change. Helene's massive size brought life-threatening winds and rain far inland.

Helene's destructive path left more than 135 dead and millions without power across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. The storm's unprecedented surge inundated coastal communities, with some areas in North Carolina seeing catastrophic devastation. Inland, heavy rainfall caused catastrophic flash flooding and landslides, while the expansive wind field damaged infrastructure across multiple states.

According to a recent Yale Climate Connections article, Hurricane Helene exemplifies the growing threat of climate-fueled extreme hurricanes. Helene is the eighth Category 4 or 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. in as many years, continuing a troubling trend of increasingly powerful storms. 

Global warming has increased Gulf water temperatures by about 1 degree Celsius since 1910, potentially increasing Helene's destructive power by 40-50%. The storm's rapid intensification before landfall — a phenomenon becoming more common due to climate change — caught many people off guard. Helene also set new storm surge records at multiple locations along Florida's west coast, records made easier to break by rising sea levels, also linked to global warming.

As is typical for devastating extreme weather events, coverage was robust. 

On cable:

• CNN aired 12 hours and 14 minutes across 235 segments, with 5 climate mentions.

• MSNBC aired 4 hours and 10 minutes across 73 segments, with 6 climate mentions.

• Fox News aired 3 hours and 54 minutes across 87 segments, with 0 climate mentions.

On broadcast:

• ABC aired 48 minutes across 31 segments, with 2 climate mentions.

• CBS aired 47 minutes across 23 segments, with 0 climate mentions.

• NBC aired 41 minutes across 19 segments, with 2 climate mentions.

Networks’ extensive coverage provided detailed reporting on Hurricane Helene's path, intensity, and immediate impacts. Media Matters generally observed that broadcast networks highlighted Helene's record-breaking nature, noting its status as the strongest hurricane ever to hit Florida's Big Bend region. Coverage included timely updates on evacuation orders, emergency responses, and the logistics of disaster management. Reporters and meteorologists emphasized the storm's rapid intensification and its potential for catastrophic damage. This comprehensive coverage of the hurricane's progression, its record-setting characteristics, and its immediate impacts was a vital public service.

However, while the coverage again excelled in reporting the “what” of Hurricane Helene, it largely missed the “why.”

Despite the extensive coverage, networks largely failed to connect Hurricane Helene to climate change, even when discussing rapid intensification, which is a clear signal of global warming. This glaring oversight is not just a missed opportunity, it is a dereliction of journalistic duty. By failing to contextualize Helene within the broader climate crisis, networks are burying the lead on one of the most pressing stories of our time.

The coverage also rarely explored how evacuation costs disproportionately burden low-income communities and communities of color, instead focusing on many of their interviews and commentary with those who chose to stay rather than those who couldn't afford to leave. This skewed coverage not only misrepresents the reality of who is most affected by these storms but also perpetuates a dangerous narrative that downplays the socioeconomic factors at play in disaster response.

While climate change coverage was sparse overall, there were several notable segments that effectively integrated context about global warming into reporting about Hurricane Helene.

During the September 26 episode of ABC's Good Morning America, weather anchor Sam Champion explained how climate change is “turbocharging” hurricanes. He noted rapid intensification is now twice as likely as 30 years ago due to warmer Gulf waters, and highlighted increased storm surge and inland flooding risks from climate-driven changes.

During the September 26 episode of MSNBC's Deadline: White House, meteorologist Bill Karins discussed how climate change is driving the extreme warmth in the Gulf of Mexico, which fuels storms like Helene. He noted the year-after-year pattern and briefly mentioned related issues like changing insurance rates.

During the September 26 episode of CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper, meteorologist Elisa Raffa explained how rapidly warming oceans fuel hurricane intensification. She highlighted how this quick intensification can catch people off guard, giving them less time to prepare.

During the September 26 episode of MSNBC's The ReidOut, NBC meteorologist Angie Lassman explained how climate change impacts hurricane strength, citing Climate Central's assessment that current Gulf of Mexico sea surface temperatures are 200 to 500 times more likely due to human-caused climate change and emphasized that warmer water provides more fuel for rapid intensification. Lassman concluded by explicitly stating that fossil fuels are driving climate impacts like stronger hurricanes.

During the September 27 episode of CNN Newsroom Live, meteorologist and climate scientist Chris Gloninger explained how climate change has warmed the Gulf of Mexico throughout its depth. He also cited attribution science showing Gulf warmth is now 300 times more likely due to climate change. Gloniger noted this prevents typical pre-landfall hurricane weakening and increases rainfall, calling it “our new normal.”

During the September 27 episode of MSNBC's Ana Cabrera Reports, correspondent Marissa Parra demonstrated how to effectively incorporate climate change into breaking storm coverage. While discussing Hurricane Helene's immediate impacts, Parra seamlessly connected the storm's unexpected intensity to climate change, noting how it caught even long-time Florida residents off guard.

During the September 27 episode of CNN News Central, climate scientist Michael Mann explained how climate change is producing larger, more intense hurricanes with higher storm surges. He emphasized the need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy to prevent further warming, and contrasted candidates' stances on climate change in the upcoming presidential election.

These well-executed segments demonstrate that it is possible to incorporate meaningful climate coverage into hurricane reporting, even during breaking news and immediate aftermath coverage. However, these isolated examples only serve to emphasize the overall failure of broadcast and cable news networks to provide consistent, in-depth climate coverage.

To truly convey the full scope and urgency of the climate crisis, national TV news shows need to incorporate climate context as a standard part of their hurricane coverage, including in pre-produced packages and regular updates, rather than relegating it to occasional segments.

As images of devastation from Hurricane Helene flooded television screens, particularly the catastrophic scenes from North Carolina, viewers will naturally seek explanations for these increasingly intense weather events. This moment of heightened public attention presented a critical opportunity for national TV news to address the underlying causes and long-term implications of climate-driven disasters.

However, current coverage consistently fails to meet this urgent need. To better serve their audience, networks must commit to framing these stories through a climate lens, contextualizing events within long-term trends, and connecting them to broader policy discussions, including the 2024 election discourse. This approach would help viewers understand the broader implications of these increasingly frequent and severe weather events.

Moreover, networks should highlight climate justice issues, emphasizing how low-income communities and communities of color are disproportionately affected by extreme weather. They should also examine the role of the fossil fuel industry in driving climate change and the associated increase in severe weather events.

By making these improvements, national TV news can play a crucial role in informing the public about the true nature and urgency of the climate crisis. This more comprehensive coverage could drive the societal and political will necessary to address these critical issues, turning moments of disaster into catalysts for meaningful action.

Media Matters searched transcripts in the SnapStream video database for all original episodes of ABC's Good Morning America and World News Tonight, CBS' Mornings and Evening News, and NBC's Today and Nightly News as well as all original programming on CNN, Fox News Channel, and MSNBC for any of the terms “Helene” (including misspellings), “thunderstorm,” or “hurricane” or any variations of any of the terms “tropic,” “Category 3,” “Cyclone 9,” or “storm” within close proximity of any of the terms “Florida,” “Big Bend,” “Gulf Coast,” Caribbean," “Gulf of Mexico,” “Mexico,” “Cuba,” “Central America,” “Jamaica,” “Dry Tortugas,” or “Keys” from September 25, when the storm began to rapidly intensify, through 11:59 PM on September 27, 2024.

We included segments, which we defined as instances when Helene was the stated topic of discussion or when we found significant discussion of the storm. We defined significant discussion as instances when two or more speakers in a multitopic segment discussed the hurricane with one another.

We did not include passing mentions, which we defined as instances when a single speaker in a segment on another topic mentioned the storm without another speaker engaging with the comment, or teasers, which we defined as instances when the host or anchor promoted a segment about the hurricane scheduled to air later in the broadcast.

We then reviewed the identified segments for any mention of climate change or global warming.