Fact check: Viral footage of waterspout in Florida's Clearwater Beach NOT connected to Hurricane Idalia
FLORIDA: The footage of a waterspout striking a beach covered in blue tents was shot in June 2023 and has nothing to do with Hurricane Idalia, which hit the Florida coast on Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
Some on social media erroneously stated that the months-old video captured the Category 3 storm as it slammed Florida's Big Bend region early Wednesday morning.
How are the waterspout event and Idalia connected?
"Hurricane Idalia has started," read tweets tying the waterspout footage to Hurricane Idalia on X (previously Twitter) and Facebook. However, there appears to be no connection between the two phenomena.
Truth behind whirling mist on Florida beach
According to the clip's description on Storyful, a social video licensing company, and press reports from the time, the video depicts a "waterspout" on June 16 at Clearwater Beach on Florida's west coast, reports AP News.
The video shows a waterspout, or a "whirling column of air and water mist," as it rushes across the ocean and onto a beach while people flee for cover and objects like chairs and towels get swept away.
Is Idalia to blame for the waterspout?
Hurricane Idalia has started. #Hurricane #Idalia #HurricaneIdalia #Florida #Weather pic.twitter.com/ciC1q97hQo
— Arribadelabola (@Arribadelabola) August 29, 2023
The Facebook post that links Hurricane Idalia and uses the hashtags "Hurricane #Idalia #HurricaneIdalia #Florida #Weather" is more than two months old and does not show Idalia or any hurricane.
It was filmed on June 16 at Clearwater Beach, according to its Storyful description, and it depicts "a waterspout that spun ashore." Many important news organizations that covered the incident featured the video.
Was anyone injured from the waterspout?
The Clearwater Police Department published a different angle of the same video of the waterspout on Facebook on June 16.
"A small #waterspout moved ashore quickly this afternoon on #ClearwaterBeach near lifeguard Tower 2," the caption on the post says. "Two people went to the hospital with minor injuries after being struck by flying debris."
