Stand up for the facts!

Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy.
We need your help.

More Info

I would like to contribute

Ciara O'Rourke
By Ciara O'Rourke August 5, 2024

Don’t get it twisted: This tornado video doesn’t show an Atlanta storm

If Your Time is short

  • This footage does not show a tornado in Atlanta. The video clips appear to be from storms in Kansas and Indiana.

Three clips of tornadoes whipping through houses and ripping off roofs appear in a video recently shared on Facebook. 

"Tornado in ATLANTA," text over the video says. 

The caption of the July 21 Facebook post sharing the video: "Strong tornado in Atlanta USA." 

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 and Instagram.)

A EF2 tornado touched down in Atlanta in April — at night, in the dark — and none of the clips in the Facebook post, all recorded in daylight, show the Georgia twister. 

Sign up for PolitiFact texts

The first clip was shot in May 2022 in Andover, Kansas. 

The second clip also appears to show the Kansas tornado. Another video, which an ABC News affiliate in Tulsa, Oklahoma, published on YouTube, shows a similar scene

Featured Fact-check

The third clip was shot in June 2023 in Indiana. USA Today published the footage after several severe tornadoes developed across the central part of the state. 

Some of the footage has been altered — quickened or flipped so that images that were on the right are now on the left. 

We rate claims these clips show a tornado in Atlanta False.

Browse the Truth-O-Meter

More by Ciara O'Rourke

Don’t get it twisted: This tornado video doesn’t show an Atlanta storm

Support independent fact-checking.
Become a member!

In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts.

Sign me up