NBC weatherman Al Roker gave viewers a fright Sunday morning when he delivered the Hurricane Ida forecast while getting lashed by waves from the approaching storm.
The 67-year-old Today co-host, wearing a heavy jacket and struggling to stand amid the tempest in Lake Pontchartrain, appeared in a segment on Meet the Press at a time when the hurricane was already boasting maximum sustained winds of 150 mph as a Category 4 storm.
“Al Roker, get out of that unsafe weather there,” anchor Chuck Todd remarked after the forecast was given.
WATCH: @alroker pummeled by waves as Hurricane Ida targets New Orleans pic.twitter.com/Fe6LlgmUJp
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 29, 2021
The clip of Roker, who underwent surgery last year to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, went viral throughout the morning, with Twitter users remarking on his age and safety.
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The forecasting veteran responded to the concern with a post on Twitter, assuring people he and his crew were safe.
“For all those who were worried about me out on #lakepontchartrain covering #Ida a) I volunteered to do this. Part of the job. b) My crew and I were safe and we are back at our hotel and c) for those who think I’m too old to to [sic] be doing this, try and keep up,” he said in the tweet.
For all those who were worried about me out on #lakepontchartrain covering #Ida a) I volunteered to do this. Part of the job. b) My crew and I were safe and we are back at our hotel and c) for those who think I’m too old to to be doing this, try and keep up pic.twitter.com/DctJBFKD0D
— Al Roker (@alroker) August 29, 2021
In a follow-up appearance on MSNBC, live this time from downtown New Orleans, Roker explained how he and his crew vacated Lake Pontchartrain because “the water was coming up so fast, we were going to be trapped there.”
.@alroker has a message for those who think he’s too old to stand outside in a hurricane! #SundayShow pic.twitter.com/v2RD6xA7ku
— The Sunday Show with Jonathan Capehart (@TheSundayShow) August 29, 2021
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Roker also had a new message for people who said he is too old to be reporting in the middle of a hurricane.
“Screw you. Okay? And try to keep up,” he said. Roker then quipped: “These young punks. I will come after them. I will drop them like a bag of dirt.”
