Misleading Videos Circulate After Hurricane Milton

Misbar investigated the circulating videos and found the claim to be misleading.

Misbar's team found that the initial video does not depict Hurricane Milton reaching Florida. This video, which was posted on TikTok in July 2021, features a shelf cloud and includes hashtags suggesting that it occurred in Florida.

The second video posted by The Weather Channel on July 1, 2022 features similar footage and discusses events that took place in Cincinnati, Ohio, weeks prior. According to the Weather Channel, the video shows "shelf clouds" preceding a weather event called a derecho.

Another video found from February 2024 reveals a striking cloud formation over Chaffe Rd on Jacksonville's Westside.

Hurricane Milton Makes Landfall as Category 3 Storm, Causing Widespread Power Outages and Tornado Warnings in Florida

Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday night as a "dangerous Category 3" storm near Siesta Key, located on Florida's central west coast, according to the National Hurricane Center. Siesta Key is a barrier island just south of Sarasota. At landfall, Milton had sustained winds of 120 mph, but it weakened to Category 1 as it traveled inland across the state.

By early Thursday, more than 3.2 million customers in Florida were without power, as reported by utility tracker PowerOutage.us. The hurricane center had advised residents in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas to stay indoors due to "extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds" sweeping through the region.

Earlier that day, the National Weather Service in Miami monitored at least four tornadoes, including a "multi-vortex tornado," while meteorologists noted storm surge starting to affect the southwestern Florida coast. Tornado warnings were issued for several cities, in addition to the pre-existing hurricane and storm surge warnings affecting many of those same areas. In the days leading up to Milton's arrival, hurricane and storm surge warnings were in effect across extensive areas of Florida's western and eastern coasts, as well as numerous inland regions. At one point, the entirety of the state, excluding the panhandle, was under some form of warning or watch related to the hurricane, as reported by CBS Miami. Some tropical storm advisories were also issued for parts of Georgia and the Bahamas.

Storm surge threats posed a significant concern for Florida's west coast, due to the area's geography, which can result in especially severe surges. Forecasters had raised concerns before Milton made landfall about the possibility of storm surge reaching up to 13 feet along the Gulf Coast, including areas like Tampa and Fort Myers. However, officials indicated that this worst-case scenario appeared unlikely as the storm moved off eastern Florida and into the Atlantic.

Hurricane Milton Hits Florida, Sparing Tampa but Causing Severe Damage Elsewhere

The circulation of the claim came after Hurricane Milton struck Florida as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday, inflicting devastation on a coastline already affected by Hurricane Helene. The storm unleashed winds exceeding 100 mph (160 kph) and spawned numerous tornadoes, although it narrowly avoided a direct hit on Tampa. Instead, it made landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota, approximately 70 miles (112 kilometers) south of Tampa. 

The Tampa area still faced significant challenges as St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, leading the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings. Additionally, Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, appeared to sustain considerable damage, with images showing the fabric roof of the domed stadium torn apart. It remains unclear if there was any damage inside the venue.

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