Get PolitiFact in your inbox.
Viral video compilation tries to pass off old footage as Hurricane Helene clips
If Your Time is short
-
All the clips included in the viral video were shared online before Sept. 26, when Hurricane Helene made landfall on the western Florida coast as a Category 4 storm.
A viral compilation of stormy video clips featuring a large inflatable duck taking flight has been spreading online as if the footage was filmed during Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm that hit Florida’s western Gulf coast Sept. 26.
But these video clips, shared Sept. 25 on Instagram, were not taken during Hurricane Helene — they all predate the storm.
(Screenshot of Instagram post)
This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.) The post was removed from Instagram before this story was published.
We tracked the origins of the 10 separate clips included in the compilation:
-
The first clip featuring a white building and red pickup truck was taken in Nash County, North Carolina, during a July 2023 hurricane, according to WTVD-TV.
-
The second clip was taken in Urbandale, Iowa, during a July 2024 tornado, according to local news reports.
Sign up for PolitiFact texts
-
The third clip of a flying trampoline in a backyard was taken in July 2021 in Rock Hill, South Carolina, according to a video posted on The Weather Channel website.
Featured Fact-check
-
And the giant inflatable duck, whose name is Thrifty, blew across a road in Birch Run, Michigan, earlier this year during a heavy windstorm. Before it took flight, the duck belonged to a local antique shop owner who said it cost $3,000.
For the remaining clips, PolitiFact couldn’t verify exactly when and where they were taken, but in all instances we found versions of the clips that were circulating online before Helene made landfall.
Don’t let your timeline get flooded with misinformation; these storm clips are not from Hurricane Helene. We rate this claim False.
PolitiFact Researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
Our Sources
Instagram post, (archived), Sept. 25, 2024
Facebook video, (archived), July 15, 2024
TikTok video, (archived), Aug. 6, 2024
X post, (archived), July 20, 2023
Independent, "Gigantic flying inflatable duck misses driver by metres in Michigan," May 21, 2024
TikTok post, (archived), Sept. 7, 2024
TikTok post (archived), Sept. 11, 2024
KCCI, "Iowa tornado: EF-1 confirmed through Des Moines metro Monday," July 16, 2024
The Weather Channel, "She Could Only Watch as Storm Trashed Her Yard," Aug. 5, 2021
MLive, "This 25-foot inflatable duck ‘died’ so a Michigan business could thrive," May 24, 2024
CBC News, "#TheMoment a giant inflatable duck blew across a Michigan road," May 22, 2024
YouTube, "Lốc xoáy và gió giật mạnh con bão số 3," Sept. 7, 2024
YouTube, "Praying for everyone’s safety, Vietnam.", Yagi" Sept. 7, 2024
YouTube, "STORM LILIAN is ENTERING in ENGLAND UK with a wind speed of 70 mph" – Aug 27, 2024
TikTok video, Sept. 10, 2024
TikTok video, Aug. 31, 2024
Browse the Truth-O-Meter
More by Grace Abels
Viral video compilation tries to pass off old footage as Hurricane Helene clips
Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!
In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.