Old, unrelated clips shared as visuals of March ‘tornado’ in Dubai

By: Annet Preethi Furtado
March 18 2024

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Screenshot of a TikTok video claiming it shows the Dubai floods in March 2024. (Source: TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

In March 2024, Dubai and other parts of the United Arab Emirates were struck by severe weather conditions, including heavy rains, leading to localized flooding and hailstorms. Against this backdrop, a video emerged on TikTok claiming to show a "very strong tornado in Dubai." The video, lasting about one minute, consists of four separate clips with a siren sound in the background.

The first clip, which lasts for the first four seconds, displays a tornado and lightning against a backdrop of buildings. The second clip, running from the five-second mark to the 16-second mark, captures a tornado near a red structure, seemingly filmed from a window across from the structure.

The third clip, lasting from approximately 17 to 29 seconds, appears to be filmed from the front seat of a car and shows a vehicle being swept away by strong winds. The final clip, starting around the 30-second mark, depicts a red car in a flooded area with a significant influx of water. As the camera pans, it reveals the extent of the flooding, including several boats in the distance amid the flooded area.

The video has accumulated more than 42,000 likes, and its archive can be accessed here.

(Source: TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What did we find?

We found that all of these clips are old and unrelated to the recent severe weather conditions in Dubai.

Clip 1

Upon reviewing the footage, we discovered that the first clip had circulated online before the recent rains in Dubai. During its earlier appearances, it was inaccurately attributed to tornadoes in Ireland, Canada, and the U.S.

This particular clip surfaced as early as September 2023, during the catastrophic floods in Libya, accompanied by claims that it depicted a tornado resulting from Storm Daniel in Libya. A subsequent 2023 fact-check by Logically Facts confirmed that the video had been digitally altered; the original version contained neither the tornado nor the lightning visible in the clip. Furthermore, the video was geolocated to South Beach Plaza Mall in Jacksonville, Florida, conclusively demonstrating its lack of connection to Dubai.

Comparison of the video from Shutterstock and the viral video (Source: Shutterstock/ TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

Clip 2

Between the 5-second and 16-second timestamps, the second clip shows a tornado behind a red structure, seemingly captured from a window of the opposite structure.

While we were unable to find the source of this clip, we found it had circulated online prior to the onset of the recent intense rainfall in Dubai. It was previously shared and attributed as depicting a tornado in Ottawa, Canada, as early as July 2023.

Comparison of TikTok videos posted in March 2024, allegedly depicting a tornado in Dubai and a tornado in Ottawa, Canada, in July 2023. (Source:TikTok/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

While we could not independently verify the event, given its online presence since 2023, it's evident that this clip cannot represent the recent rainfall in Dubai.

Clip 3

The third clip, spanning approximately 17 to 29 seconds, appears to have been recorded from the front seat of a car, capturing the scene of another vehicle being swept away by formidable winds.

This clip, too, was previously circulated to depict the aftermath of Hurricane Idalia, a destructive Category 4 hurricane that wreaked havoc across parts of the southeastern U.S., particularly in North Florida, in late August 2023.

In 2023, this video surfaced on X (formerly Twitter) alongside an unrelated clip captured in Kansas in May 2022. Back then, Logically Facts found that this video had been originally uploaded to YouTube by CNN on August 10, 2015, and was titled "Car blown away by Taiwan typhoon caught on video." 

Comparison between the TikTok video posted in March 2024, purporting to depict a tornado in Dubai, and a YouTube video uploaded in August 2015 showing a Taiwan typhoon. (Source:TikTok/YouTube/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

Clip 4

The fourth clip, starting around the 30-second mark, shows a red car in a flooded area with visible water currents. Further in the clip, several boats are visible in the distance amid the submerged surroundings.

Through a reverse image search on the keyframes of the clip, we found that the footage was initially uploaded in September 2021. The post's caption identified the location as Les Cases d'Alcanar, a village in Spain. On translation, the Spanish captions said that a flood swept away cars, terraces, and everything in its path amid intense storms in Les Cases d'Alcanar and the neighboring areas.

Source: Facebook

Using Google Maps and taking Les Cases d'Alcanar as a cue, we could geolocate the exact location depicted in the clip. A white building with blue windows in the background of the flooded region matches the street view of Les Cases d'Alcanar.

Comparison of a TikTok video screenshot with a Google Maps street view screenshot depicting the location of Les Cases d'Alcanar, Spain. (Source:TikTok/Google Maps/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

Moreover, boats on the water, as observed in the clip, are consistent with the typical scene in Les Cases d'Alcanar.

Comparison of a TikTok video screenshot with a Google Maps street view screenshot depicting the location of Les Cases d'Alcanar, Spain. (Source:TikTok/Google Maps/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

The verdict

Old, unrelated clips from various locations, such as Florida, Taiwan, and Spain, have been shared as visuals of the Dubai floods in March 2024. Therefore, the claim has been marked as false.