No tornado 'portal' in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Feb. 15
The claim: Video shows 'portal inside of a tornado' in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Feb. 15
A Feb. 16 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows light emanating from a dark, funnel-shaped cloud.
"Portal inside of a tornado??!!" reads text superimposed over the video. "2/15/2025 Knoxville Tennessee!!!"
The caption of the post says, "Wow portal in Tennessee (sic)."
The video was shared 12,000 times in five days.
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Our rating: False
There was no tornado in Knoxville on Feb. 15, according to an area meteorologist. The video originated on a TikTok account associated with a "video creator."
No Knoxville tornado on Feb. 15
Matt Reagan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Tennessee, told USA TODAY there was no tornado in Knoxville on Feb. 15.
The video in the post appears to have originated on a TikTok account with the handle @incognitogamingtv. The account includes many videos purportedly showing "portals" and UFOs.
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The user's Instagram account, @Incognito_gaming_tv, identifies the user as a "video creator." The user did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Facebook user who shared the post.
USA TODAY has debunked multiple videos wrongly claiming to show extreme weather in variouslocations.
Our fact-check sources
Matt Reagan, Feb. 20, Phone interview with USA TODAY
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