A Florida weatherman has been criticized for ‘dramatically bracing’ while reporting live during Hurricane Isaias as a local man walked nonchalantly beside him.
Robert Ray, a FOX News weather correspondent, was captured in a hilarious video while giving live updates on the conditions of Hurricane Isaias in Destin, Florida.
‘As the darkness is upon us I can see lights in the distance… and palm trees getting pushed’ Ray said dramatically in the video.
The weatherman braced over with a hand on his knees in an attempt not to be knocked over while asking viewers to ‘bear with me.’ He advised viewers the stance was necessary to maintain balance.
He explained how his earbuds were full of water as ‘intense whipping winds’ blew at up to 70 mph gusts.
The footage showed the bizarre moment a local Floridian in a poncho walked behind Ray and stood upright while expertly navigating the storm.
‘It’s not that windy,’ he could be heard commenting before walking away unbothered by the torrential rain.
Ray laughed in surprise as he was seen geared in a helmet, goggles and a rain jacket.
Robert Ray, a FOX News weatherman reporter, was captured in a hilarious video while giving live updates on the conditions of Hurricane Isaias in Destin, Florida
The weatherman braced over with a hand on his knees in an attempt not to be knocked over while asking viewers to ‘bear with me.’ He advised viewers the stance was necessary to maintain balance
The footage showed the bizarre moment a local Floridian in a poncho walked behind Ray and stood upright while expertly navigating the storm
‘Oh it’s pretty darn windy, at least for me! I got to brace myself because when those gusts come in,’ Ray said in the video.
‘I’m not going to get knocked over. No way. So good luck to that guy. I hope he doesn’t mosey down like Mr. Rogers in this,’ he said.
The outlet described the outside conditions as ‘brutal’ while their weatherman battled ‘powerful winds and driving rain.’
‘Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday night, unleashing dangerous wind gusts across northern Florida,’ the outlet wrote on social media.
‘FOX Weather teams are LIVE in the storm’s path, bringing viewers a firsthand look at the powerful winds and impacts unfolding on the ground,’ they wrote.
Some commenters on social media questioned how severe the conditions of the storm really were.
‘I lived in that area for thirty years. The media would stand in a pond and zoom in to make things look catastrophic,’ wrote one user.
‘They are severely over dramatic,’ one wrote, while another mentioned ‘I feel like I just came from a Shakespeare play!’
‘Hurricane Isaias made landfall Friday night, unleashing dangerous wind gusts across northern Florida,’ the outlet wrote on social media.
Controversy sparked on social media in response as some commenters questioned how severe the conditions of the storm really were
‘The random guy treating it like a light drizzle while Robert Ray is out there fighting for his life is the most real thing I’ve seen all week,’ another commenter wrote.
An additional FOX video captioned footage as ‘Reporter nearly knocked off his feet by Hurricane Isaias.’
‘Stand by guys I’m just going to catch my breath. And by the way I got a mouthful of water… that’s the thing, this is a fight,’ Ray said.
The weatherman described Hurricane Isaias as a ‘weather beast’ and said he expected the sweeping winds to continue all night.
Isaias made landfall in Florida Friday evening as a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.
