Video of Florida waterspout falsely linked to Hurricane Idalia | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read

The claim: Video shows Hurricane Idalia making landfall in Florida

An Aug. 29 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows people on a beach running away from a swirling gust of wind coming from the water.

"Hurricane Idalia has started," reads the video's caption.

The post garnered more than 100 shares in one day. Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The video was filmed two months before Hurricane Idalia at Clearwater Beach, Florida, when a waterspout traveled ashore.

Video is months old, doesn't show recent hurricane

Hurricane Idalia made landfall near Keaton Beach, Florida, as a Category 3 hurricane on Aug. 30, sustaining maximum winds of 125mph. It was downgraded to a tropical storm after traveling across Georgia and the Carolinas.

But the Facebook video doesn't show the hurricane making landfall.

It was shared by a user on Facebook on June 16, more than two months before the hurricane hit. The user labeled the phenomenon a waterspout in the video's caption.

A waterspout is a whirling column of air and mist that usually forms over a body of water, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The footage of the waterspout, which formed off of Clearwater Beach in Florida, was republished by Storyful and featured in a USA TODAY article.

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The Clearwater Fire & Rescue Department shared a video of the waterspout on Facebook from a different angle.

"A small #waterspout moved ashore quickly this afternoon on #ClearwaterBeach near lifeguard Tower 2," reads the June 16 video's caption. "Two people went to the hospital with minor injuries after being struck by flying debris."

Several local outlets, including the Tampa Bay Times and WFLA reported on the incident at the time.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Reuters and the Associated Press also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video of waterspout falsely linked to Hurricane Idalia | Fact check