Old video taken by storm chaser falsely shared as Hurricane Milton hitting Florida
Hurricane Milton spawned deadly tornados hours before it made landfall on Florida's west coast but a compilation of dramatic tornado clips circulating online does not show the monster storm. The clips, which racked up more than one million views, were filmed by storm chaser Ricky Forbes who told AFP he shot them in the US state of Nebraska in 2014 and Alberta, Canada in 2023.
"Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida, USA. It's very scary," reads a Thai-language caption in an X post on October 10, 2024.
The video compilation, which shows several clips of tornados, has been viewed 180,000 times, been reposted more than 2,000 times and received more than 1,700 likes.
Similar posts have been shared more than 2,700 times on TikTok , and on other platforms such as Facebook .
The video racked up over one million views after it was broadcast and shared on social media by Thai television network Amarin TV.
These posts circulated after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on October 9 as a powerful Category 3 storm, triggering a spate of tornados, and leaving at least 16 people dead and millions of households without power ( archived link ).
However, the clips do not show Hurricane Milton in October.
The original videos were filmed by professional storm chaser Ricky Forbes during separate tornado events in 2014 and 2023 ( archived link ).
Twin tornados in Nebraska in 2014
The first clip in the viral montage that depicts two large tornados is identical to this video published on Forbes's Facebook page ( archived link ).
The caption on the Forbes post says the footage was taken the same day that EF4 twin tornados struck Pilger, Nebraska, which was on June 16, 2014 ( archived link
EF4 tornados refer to the second-highest level on the Enhanced Fujita Scale and produce winds of 166-200 miles per hour (267-322 kph).
Below is a screenshot comparison between the false X post (left) and Forbes's Facebook post (right):
A second clip, which features a close-up of a tornado, is of the same Nebraska weather event in 2014.
Forbes shared the video on his Facebook page, along with the caption: "This is why tornadoes terrify me, our experience with the Pilger, NE, EF4. This tornado took place on June 16, 2014" ( archived link ).
Below is a screenshot comparison between the false X post (left) and Forbes's Facebook post (right):
Supercell in Alberta, Canada in 2023
A third clip in the compilation shows a powerful supercell storm and dates back to a Facebook post from July 2023.
Forbes posted the footage on his Facebook account on July 2, 2023 with the caption, "Very scary EF4 tornado moments ago SE of Didsbury, Alberta" ( archived link ).
Below is a screenshot comparison between the false X post (left) and Forbes's Facebook post (right):
Forbes confirmed with AFP that the video clips were taken by him in 2014 and 2023.
"You are correct - those (clips) are mine and those are the correct years," Forbes wrote in an email on October 15. "They were stolen and mislabeled."
