Severe winter storms have battered much of the United States this winter — most recently in Buffalo, New York — resulting in fatalities and injuries from tornadoes and dangerous travel conditions caused by blizzard blasts of ice and snow. Americans, many of them at least, have been glued to the TV during this weather upheaval for the latest updates from weather forecasters, who painstakingly explain how the inclement weather is exacerbated by climate change.

In many places, meteorologists on the local news are local celebrities, seen as trusted interpreters of the data provided by the National Weather Service, friendly personalities and loyal community boosters. Even in today’s sharply divided, partisan America, they are not usually seen as divisive figures.

No longer.

A vocal opposition has formed against TV weather forecasters and the science of meteorology.