Fact Check: AI-Generated Video Falsely Shows Tornado Under Red Sky in Pandeglang

December 29, 2025 | 08:23 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video showing a red sky accompanied by a tornado was shared by TikTok and Facebook accounts [archive] on December 21, 2025. The natural phenomenon reportedly occurred in Pandeglang Regency, Banten Province, on December 18, 2025.

The video appears to have been recorded by a motorist on a city street. The sky over the city appears red with a tornado rolling vertically. This natural phenomenon is associated with a sign of disaster.

However, did the red sky phenomenon accompanied by a tornado really occur in Pandeglang?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the content using visual observation, comparing it to the original video, and using artificial intelligence (AI) detection. Although the red sky phenomenon did occur in Pandeglang Regency, there was no tornado. The circulating video was created using AI.

Tempo obtained the original video showing the red sky phenomenon, uploaded by the Instagram account Menezeman. The video was recorded on the streets of Panimbang District, Pandeglang, on December 18, 2025. The location of the video is the same as the location recorded on Google Maps during the day.

In the original video, there was no tornado moving vertically in Pandeglang Regency.

After Tempo conducted a visual analysis of the circulating content, several oddities were discovered. First, the cars in front of the road were completely motionless. Second, there were white spots, resembling snow, in the video. This kind of oddity is commonly found in AI-generated videos.

Analysis using the AI or NOT detection tool yielded a 97 percent probability that the video of the red sky with the tornado was artificially generated. Meanwhile, Image Whisperer stated that the video was AI-generated.

Red Sky Phenomenon in Pandeglang

Berita Satu reported that the orange to red sky phenomenon did indeed occur in Pandeglang on December 18, 2025. No tornadoes accompanied the phenomenon.

Head of the Banten Region II Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BBMKG), Hartanto, explained that the red sky at that time was a natural atmospheric optical phenomenon. This phenomenon is known as Rayleigh scattering.

This optical effect can occur when the sun is low or near sunset. In this position, sunlight must travel a longer distance to reach the human eye.

This results in only long-wavelength colors like red and orange being able to penetrate the atmosphere and be visible to the eye. "The intense red color is usually influenced by the high concentration of water vapor or the presence of aerosol particles in the air," Hartanto said.

CONCLUSION

Tempo's verification concluded that the narrative circulating in the video showing a red sky phenomenon in Pandeglang, Banten, accompanied by a tornado is false.

TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM

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