Lightning video predates Tropical Storm Hilary

This article is more than one year old.
Published on August 24, 2023 at 16:54
1 min read
By Natalie WADE, AFP USA

Social media users claim footage shows lightning in California in August 2023. This is false; the video was posted on TikTok in June and digitally modified -- two months before Tropical Storm Hilary brought record rainfall to the US state.

"Another shocking footage Of #HurricaneHilary aint no joke wtf," says an August 19, 2023 post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X."

The post includes a video of lightning shooting across a cloudy sky.

Screenshot of a post on Twitter, which is being rebranded as "X," taken August 23, 2023

Similar claims spread elsewhere on X and Facebook as Tropical Storm Hilary caused landslides and life-threatening floods in Southern California.

But the footage is unrelated to the storm, which at its peak registered as a Category 4 hurricane before crossing into the United States.

The clip originated in a June 23 TikTok post captioned: "Thunderstorm with lightning discharge."

Screenshot of a TikTok post taken August 23, 2023, with elements highlighted by AFP

"Interesting videos real and edited," says the bio of @RTsarovVideo, the account that shared the footage (archived here).

The TikToker told Reuters that he created the lightning effect using software. AFP reached out to the user for comment, but a response was not forthcoming. AFP did not determine the location where the video was recorded.

AFP has debunked other misinformation about Hurricane Hilary here, here and here.

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