Old Storm and Hurricane Visuals Misrepresented as Recent U.S. Tornadoes

On May 15, 2025, a powerful tornado outbreak swept across several U.S. states, including Wisconsin, Missouri and Kentucky. The storms produced at least 29 tornadoes and resulted in 28 fatalities — 19 in Kentucky, seven in Missouri (five near St. Louis), and two in Virginia. In Mayville, Wisconsin, an EF-2 tornado caused minor injuries.

According to PowerOutage.us, more than 437,000 customers were left without power across the Midwest by May 16. The following day, as tornado activity intensified, outages surged to over 900,000 — though the website did not confirm whether all outages were directly caused by tornadoes.

Recent Tornado Clips Mixed With Old Footage From Global Storms

As the storm unfolded, several videos began circulating online, with claims that they showed tornadoes striking Mayville, Wisconsin, and St. Louis, Missouri, or their aftermath. Some of the same clips appeared in two long-form videos, each claiming to show different locations.

Misbar investigated these visuals and found that four clips were from recent tornado events but were misleadingly mixed with footage from various tornadoes and hurricanes across the U.S. and beyond over several years.

Three videos attributed to the Mayville, Wisconsin, tornadoes were actually from recent tornadoes in New Richmond, Wisconsin, while the fourth was confirmed to be from the May 16, 2025, tornado in St. Louis, Missouri.

After examining these visuals, Misbar addressed the key clips as they originally appeared.

These Clips Do Not Show the Tornado or Its Aftermath in Mayville, Wisconsin

The first long-form video attributed to the Mayville, Wisconsin, tornado begins with a clip from late August 2021 showing Hurricane Ida in Louisiana.

The second clip, first published on YouTube on October 4, 2024, was linked to storms in Acapulco, Mexico. Misbar could not independently verify its authenticity, but it does not show the recent U.S. tornado.

The third clip shows a tornado hitting Gaylord, Michigan, on May 20, 2022.

The fourth footage, posted March 7, 2025, was captioned “Before Cyclone Alfred – Brisbane, Australia,” coinciding with reports of the approaching cyclone, although Brisbane was expected to be spared.

The fifth shows a shopping mall roof blowing off and hitting a car during a storm in São Paulo, Brazil, on October 10, 2024.

The sixth was taken from a longer video shared May 5, 2024, showing a storm in Hatyai City, Thailand.

The seventh is part of a longer video showing storm damage to a gas station in Nova Londrina, Paraná, Brazil, on March 5, 2025.

The eighth, shared September 7, 2024, shows Typhoon Yagi arriving at the Bai Chay tourist area in Ha Long City, Vietnam.

The ninth clip, from a longer video published September 14, 2023, shows storm aftermath near Mesa and Phoenix, Arizona.

The tenth shows a storm hitting Hillsboro, Alabama, on August 17, 2024.

Old Storm Clips Misrepresented as Tornado Footage in Missouri

Many visuals also appeared in the second long-form video, attributed to the tornado that hit St. Louis, Missouri. Misbar continued investigating key footage, including the 11th clip — the first examined in the second video — captured by Aaron Chu, showing the EF3 tornado that struck Andover, Kansas, on April 29, 2022.

Footage 12 shows a severe storm causing a tree to fall onto a car in Guadalajara, Mexico, on July 17, 2024.

Footage 13 captures a powerful storm striking Urbandale, Iowa, on July 15, 2024, filmed near 63rd Street and Hickman Road in Des Moines.

Footage 14 comes from a longer video showing remnants of Tropical Storm Lydia causing a microburst in Santa Barbara, California, on September 3, 2017.

Footage 15 is taken from a clearer clip posted on October 12, 2019, showing Super Typhoon Hagibis hitting Japan.

Footage 16, the final clip analyzed in this blog, shows a severe storm striking Gloucester, a suburb of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, on May 21, 2022.

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