No, San Diego Was Not Hit by a Tornado or Substantial Flooding on Feb. 7

Claim: A Facebook video shared widely on Feb. 7, 2023, shows a montage of flooding and tornado footage, claiming that San Diego experienced severe flooding and a tornado on that date.

Rating: False

Evidence:

According to a meteorologist from the San Diego area National Weather Service, there were no reports of tornadoes or substantial flooding in San Diego County on Feb. 7, 2023.

The video in question includes footage that had circulated online prior to Feb. 7, suggesting that the claim is not based on current events. Multiple clips in the video depict tornadoes that are clearly inauthentic, although it is unclear whether they were generated by artificial intelligence.

Detailed Analysis:

Testimony from Meteorologist

Sam Zuber, a meteorologist with the San Diego area National Weather Service, stated that there were no reports of tornadoes or substantial flooding in San Diego County on Feb. 7, 2023. This contradicts the claims made in the viral Facebook video.

Pre-Circulated Footage

The video includes multiple clips that had been circulating online prior to Feb. 7, 2023. This indicates that the footage is not related to any recent events in San Diego.

Inauthentic Tornadoes

Zuber stated that multiple clips in the video show tornadoes that are clearly inauthentic. These tornadoes appear to be artificially generated, but the source of their creation is unknown.

Social Media Response

The Facebook user who shared the post was contacted for comment by USA TODAY, but no response was received at the time of publication.

Conclusion

The claim that San Diego was hit by a tornado and experienced substantial flooding on Feb. 7, 2023, is false. There were no reports of such events from official meteorological sources. The video shared on Facebook includes footage that had circulated prior to the claimed date and features inauthentic tornadoes.