A video shared on X, the social media platform previously known as Twitter, claims German broadcast station ARD purportedly showed a weather map on fire during a recent broadcast.

The #ClimateScam is reaching new heights of propaganda as weather stations in Germany portray weather maps actually on fire. pic.twitter.com/FV7dTqYyvF

— Jim Ferguson (@JimFergusonUK) August 5, 2023

Verdict: False

The video is digitally altered. The original video of the broadcast, which has been uploaded to YouTube, does not show the weather map on fire.

Fact Check:

Germany is just one of the countries that has been impacted by extreme heat this summer, according to Forbes. The German government launched a campaign against heat wave deaths back in June 2023, The Associated Press reported.

“The #ClimateScam is reaching new heights of propaganda as weather stations in Germany portray weather maps actually on fire,” the X video, viewed over 400,000 times, purports. In addition to the weather map being on fire, sirens can be heard in the video clip.

The video is digitally altered, however. The original video of the broadcast, which has been uploaded to YouTube, does not show the weather map on fire. The weather forecast, aired in June 2023, appears at the 35:14-minute mark of the broadcast. (RELATED: Did A Traffic Light Melt In Texas Due To Extreme Heat?)

In addition, a spokesperson for Hessischer Rundfunk denied the video’s authenticity, labeling it as “fake,” according to AFP.

“ARD does not use flames in weather displays,” the spokesperson told the outlet. Hessischer Rundfunk started the ARD weather competence center in January 2020.

Likewise, Check Your Fact found no credible news reports suggesting ARD aired the purported weather map during any of its recent broadcasts.

Check Your Fact has contacted ARD for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.