FACT CHECK: Video Showing Twin Tornadoes Predates Hurricane Milton
A viral video shared on X purports to show twin tornadoes striking Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton.
Two Tornadoes 🤯
It’s been reported multi-numerous Tornadoes today across Florida, estimates of over 50+
When has this ever happened before? pic.twitter.com/oruxp6QT0f
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) October 9, 2024
Verdict: False
The claim is false. The video, which was originally shared on Instagram, shows a set of twin tornadoes that struck Nebraska in 2014.
Fact Check:
The Pennsylvania State Police will deploy 54 troopers to help with Hurricane Milton relief efforts, according to local outlet WGAL 8. The two-week deployment is the first out-of-state deployment for the troopers since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the outlet reported.
The X video, viewed over one million times as of writing, purports to show twin tornadoes striking Florida as a result of Hurricane Milton.
“Two Tornadoes,” the post’s caption begins. “It’s been reported [that there were] multi-numerous Tornadoes today across Florida, estimates of over 50+ [sic] When has this ever happened before?,” it continues. In the video, a driver films a set of twin tornadoes from a nearby highway.
The claim is false. The video, which was originally shared on Instagram, shows a set of twin tornadoes in Nebraska in 2014.
“‘We got TWINS?!’ Still hard to believe this happened. This looked just like a scene straight out of the @twistersmovie. We called in the warnings and did everything we could to get the word out. This was the terrifying and tragic day of the Pilger, Nebraska, twin EF4 tornadoes in 2014,” the video’s caption reads. The video, which has garnered over 200,000 likes on Instagram, was shared on the platform by professional storm chaser Ricky Forbes.
View this post on Instagram
Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the viral video referenced in any recent credible news reports about Hurricane Milton. Actually, the opposite is true. On Oct. 10, Lead Stories debunked the claim. The outlet also traced the video’s origin to the Instagram post shared by Forbes. (RELATED: Video Claiming To Be From Hurricane Milton Includes CGI Clip And Damage From Other Storms)
According to an Associated Press article published via FOX 11 News, two people were killed, and at least 19 others were hospitalized as a result of the 2014 tornado. In addition, the outlet reported that “75 percent of the buildings in Pilger were heavily damaged or destroyed.”
Check Your Fact has contacted Forbes for comment.
