A reporter covering the devastating Hurricane Milton faces backlash after he made a Super Bowl LI joke about the deadly storm that ripped through Florida

The weather reporter made the joke live on air (Image: @JacksonRamer/X)

A reporter on The Weather Channel faces backlash after he made a joke about Super Bowl LI while warning viewers about the deadly Hurricane Milton.

The category 3 storm made landfall in Florida on Wednesday and left a trail of destruction as winds up to 120mph crashed into the Sunshine State. A series of tornados also struck the state with 1.3million people left without power, millions battling flooding and “multiple” fatalities have already been reported.

Footage of the sheer power of the storm have been posted to social media as 28ft waves, heavy rainfall and devastating storm surges affected more than three million homes and business in Florida. A clip of one reporter on the Weather Channel broadcasting live from Sarasota has also been shared and slammed for his coverage of the disaster.

After going live to the scene close to where Milton made landfall, the reporter used an analogy of the Super Bowl LI final where the Atlanta Falcons collapsed from a 28-3 lead to lose 34-28 against the New England Patriots – losing the fourth quarter 19-0.

“There’s a lot more to go,” the reporter said referring to further incoming winds and expected damage from Milton. “I think back to the Atlanta Falcons’ first-half Super Bowl winner. We know what happened to the second half when the Patriots came back to life. So do not sleep on the second half of Milton. We’re definitely concerned now.”

The comments were slammed as “insensitive” by social media users who questioned the use of such an analogy during a situation which had been referred to as a matter of life and death by President Joe Biden. “What does that ‘analogy’ have to do with hurricane???,” one wrote on X. “Such a stupid shot for no reason.”

Falcon fans also took to the comments section to react to the shot fired at the franchise. “The f*** he attacked us for,” one user wrote. “I’ve seen the falcons catch many strays for 28-3, but this one easily tops them all,” a second added. While a third quipped: “He has been waiting years to drop this reference.”

The Patriots overturned a record deficit in Super Bowl LI
Tom Brady and the Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit to achieve the most incredible comeback in Super Bowl history at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The 2017 final was the fifth title the Patriots won before they added a sixth in the 2019 final against the Los Angeles Rams. The game has been nicknamed “28-3” and is a constant source of pain for Falcons fans, who have never tasted Super Bowl success.

Hurricane Milton has been downgraded to a category 1 storm after making landfall just weeks after Hurricane Helene caused heavy damage to beach communities and killed a dozen people. Residents were issued a mandatory evacuation notice as officials warned of dire odds of survival.