Just before I went on the air on Oct. 7, the National Hurricane Center declared that Hurricane Milton had become a Category 5 monster. When I saw the barometric pressure numbers reported by a hurricane hunter aircraft, I did a double take.

The anchor introduced me, and then it was my turn to speak. I clenched my eyes. “It is an incredible, incredible, incredible hurricane. It has dropped,” I said, my voice quivering, “50 millibars in 10 hours!” I knew it meant it was going to continue growing in strength, and rival some of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded. I paused, lowered my head and apologized for losing my composure.

“This is just horrific,” I said.

The unplanned moment went viral. From Gen Z on TikTok to boomers on Facebook, the reactions were overwhelmingly supportive. People thanked me for showing humanity, for being emotional about increasingly dangerous weather extremes. So many people understood and identified with what I expressed.

The moment revealed a shared experience of climate anxiety across generations. It’s time that we channel that into action.

Climate and environmental degradation are happening so quickly that we’re watching them come to pass almost in real time.