It’s one thing to be caught off guard by a storm, but quite another to be blindsided by a snake story that makes absolutely no sense. Yet that’s exactly what happened when Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reported encountering a supposed hybrid snake during his coverage of Hurricane Francine in Morgan City, Louisiana.

Cantore’s team experienced vehicle trouble amidst the storm, requiring a local officer’s assistance to jump-start their truck. This is where things took a bizarre turn: a snake was spotted under the hood, and instead of reporting it as a regular water snake—which it was—Cantore shared an incredible tale. According to him, the officer confidently stated that this snake was the product of two venomous snakes, yet it was harmless. What? Let that sink in for a moment.

This report aired to a national audience. Yes, you read that right—Cantore went on The Weather Channel and recounted this entirely made-up story as though it were fact. Maybe the stress of covering hurricanes has Cantore mistaking folklore for biological facts, but this type of misinformation shouldn’t make it on air without even the most basic fact-checking.

Now, I didn’t see the broadcast personally, so I’m not sure if Cantore was saying this in jest. However, whether it was serious or not, The Weather Channel owes viewers accuracy, especially during storm coverage when people are looking for reliable information.

Adding fuel to the fire, the Facebook page Louisiana Snake ID shared the video of this embarrassing moment. But what really adds to the absurdity is that a commenter, Jayson Serpas, claimed to be the officer who actually helped Cantore and gave him the real facts. According to Serpas, “JUST A FYI I TOLD HIM IT WAS A DIAMOND BACK WATER SNAKE WHEN HE SAID IT WAS A COPPERHEAD. AND ALL THAT OTHER STUFF HE ADDED, I DID NOT TELL HIM.” Serpas also went on to clarify, “I’m Louisiana grown, born and raised. I know my snakes—he doesn’t.” Imagine that—Cantore took creative liberties with what should’ve been a simple snake identification, turning it into a wild story about venomous hybrids  .

I did a little digging and found that someone by the name Jayson Serpas graduated from the St. Bernard Parish Sheriff’s Office correctional course in 2021. It’s possible that he later became a deputy or officer with another agency, or even obtained his full Louisiana POST officer standards and training qualification. Serpas could have relocated or simply been assisting in the Morgan City area during Hurricane Francine. Either way, the real story doesn’t match up with what Cantore shared on air.

Interestingly, the post on Louisiana Snake ID, along with other Facebook posts that called out Jim Cantore and The Weather Channel, have now been taken down. If you search for “Jim Cantore Snake ID,” the results still show up, but clicking on them leads nowhere—the videos are gone. It makes you wonder—was The Weather Channel or Cantore himself behind this? Did they request the removal, or did Facebook intervene at their behest? The sudden disappearance of these posts raises more questions than answers.

I was finally able to find one video still floating around.

Let’s be clear: hybrid venomous snakes don’t exist. Louisiana is home to several venomous species—cottonmouths, rattlesnakes, and copperheads—but not one has been found to crossbreed with other snakes, let alone in some Frankenstein-style “hybrid” creature. The snake in question was most likely a non-venomous water snake, like the southern or diamondback watersnake, which are often mistaken for more dangerous species  .

Water snakes are harmless. In fact, they’re an important part of the ecosystem and do not pose any threat to humans . If only Cantore had taken a second to verify with any reputable source before spreading a wildly inaccurate story to millions of viewers. Instead, he allowed a tall tale to overshadow the reality of wildlife in a hurricane-stricken area.

Is this really the level of professionalism we should expect from a seasoned meteorologist? Reporting half-baked stories without fact-checking is dangerous, especially when it comes to misinformation about potentially dangerous wildlife. How many viewers now think they’ve got to watch out for venomous snake hybrids while they’re evacuating a hurricane? It’s laughable, but it’s also irresponsible.

For someone who’s been on the front lines of natural disasters for decades, you’d think Cantore would have the sense to verify a wild claim before presenting it to the world. But instead, we’re left shaking our heads, wondering how such nonsense made it on air.

Maybe next time, Jim, leave the snake identification to the experts—or at the very least, Google it before going live.

Ralph