Hurricanes

Was the airspace around New Orleans also shut down in early February, 2026, along with El Paso's closure due to alleged national security concerns? No, that's not true: The Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) over New Orleans during Mardi Gras issued by the FAA for part of each day from Feb. 13-18, 2026 was announced by the Louisiana State Police on…

Did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis lift a ban on illegal immigrants in the state because he needs them to clean up after hurricanes Milton and Helene? No, that's not true: There are no official statements or press releases from DeSantis indicating any changes to SB-1718, which is known as Florida's anti-illegal immigration law. No actual news reports say that DeSantis…

Is the Federal Emergency Management Agency confiscating supplies and donations for Hurricane Helene victims? No, that's not true: An agency spokesperson told Lead Stories that such accusations are "false." State and local officials in multiple Southern states that were hit by Hurricane Helene have unequivocally stated that the federal agency has not confiscated any supplies or donations. The agency does…

Did scientists at the University of Miami "admit" in 2015 that they can create real hurricanes? No, that's not true: A "CBS This Morning" news story from 2015 showed the lab and interviewed the scientists conducting the tests, which involved using a 1,700-horsepower fan to move water in a 38,000-gallon tank. Scientists did develop hurricane-like conditions in a lab setting…

Do weather projections as of October 16, 2024, forecast another hurricane to hit Florida, as a post on TikTok suggested? No, that's not true: Designated AL94 at the time of writing, a weather system over the Atlantic in mid-October was a disturbance -- not a hurricane, according to the National Weather Service. Though AL94 may develop into a hurricane, the…

Did the sky over Florida turning purple around the time of Hurricane Milton's landfall prove that HAARP manufactured the natural disaster? No, that's not true: The university responsible for HAARP has rejected such claims before. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration told Lead Stories that "no technology" can "create, destroy, modify, intensify or steer hurricanes in any way, shape or…

Does an authentic animation show Hurricane Leslie's projected path through Florida with tens of thousands of deaths, as a post on X suggested? No, that's not true: The clip was taken from a hurricane simulation game called Hurricane Outbreak. It does not represent Hurricane Leslie or its path. As of October 16, 2024, Hurricane Leslie had been downgraded from a…

Does a viral video montage show actual tornados and damage from Hurricane Milton in Florida in October 2024? No, that's not true: The montage is a compilation of older, unrelated clips. Some of them show signs of digital manipulation. The claim that the video depicted authentic scenes from Hurricane Milton appeared in a post (archived here) on Facebook on October…

Do viral images authentically capture the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Milton at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida? No, that's not true: Those pictures were generated by AI and first posted on a website with a satire label. On October 11, 2024, Disney announced it had reopened its theme parks. The claim appeared in a video (archived here)…

Does a National Hurricane Center tracking map show a new storm heading for Florida immediately after Hurricane Milton hit in early October 2024? No, that's not true: The Center's "Atlantic Tropical Cyclones and Disturbances" map shows no storm setting its sights on the Sunshine State. Instead, the image on social media is an old map from November 2022. The claim…