Viral Red Deer Sky Waterfall Was An AI Hoax

The Anatomy of a Viral AI Hoax

An incredibly realistic image, created with artificial intelligence, recently took social media by storm. The picture showed what looked like a massive waterfall pouring from the sky over Red Deer and was shared thousands of times by people who seemingly believed it was a real weather phenomenon.

The viral post made specific, false claims about the event. It alleged that on June 30 at 2:35 p.m., a "massive vertical plume of precipitation erupted downward" from a cloud system over a local strip mall. The story was embellished with dramatic details, suggesting local businesses rushed customers inside from high winds as the sky grew dark. It also falsely reported that vehicles were soaked and drivers narrowly avoided accidents due to the confusion. To make the hoax more believable, the post even included fabricated statements from Environment Canada and Climate Change. On one Facebook page alone, the post garnered 10,000 shares and 15,000 likes.

Fact Check Environment Canada Data Debunks The Storm

Despite the viral narrative, this dramatic weather event never happened. Official statistics from Environment Canada and Climate Change provide a clear refutation of the claims. The data shows there was no precipitation in Red Deer for most of June 30. The only recorded rainfall was a tiny 0.2 millimeters, which occurred late at night between 11:00 p.m. and 11:59 p.m., hours after the supposed cloudburst.

A Citys Warning How to Spot Fake News

When asked about the incident, the City of Red Deer confirmed they frequently deal with inquiries about questionable content circulating online. In a formal statement, the city said, "We advise anyone who comes across information online consider the source, location details in images, names mentioned in posts and other indicators of credibility."

City officials stressed the importance of relying on official sources for accurate information, especially concerning weather emergencies or public safety alerts. They reminded residents that trustworthy notifications will always be issued by Environment Canada, Alberta Emergency Alerts, the official City of Red Deer website and social media pages, and established local news outlets.