Map predicting above-average snowfall was created as satire in 2014 | Fact check
The claim: Map shows 2023-2024 snow forecast
An Aug. 2 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a map of the U.S. with areas separated by level of predicted snowfall.
"JUST RELEASED - the 2023-2024 Snow Forecast," reads a portion of the post's caption.
The post garnered more than 14,000 shares in eight days. Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Facebook.
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Our rating: False
This is not a real or official prediction. The map originated in a 2014 article published by a satirical website.
Map originally created as satire in 2014
The map is neither recent nor legitimate. It was originally featured in a 2014 article published by a website called Empire News. The article cites multiple people who don't actually exist, such as "doctor of global weather sciences" Dr. Boris Scvediok and "senior administrator of meteorologists" Edward F. Blankenbaker.
The website's "About" page says its content "is intended for entertainment purposes only" and uses only fictional names "except in cases of public figure and celebrity parody or satirization."
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The claim is an example of what could be called "stolen satire," where images shared as satire and presented that way originally are reposted in a way that makes them appear to be legitimate news. As a result, readers of the second-generation post are misled, as was the case here.
Several news outlets, including The Washington Post, the Portland Press Herald and the Florida-Times Union, published articles in 2014 warning social media users not to take the map seriously.
The Facebook page, "Snowmobilers.com," appears to share the map every year with a nearly identical caption each time.
Paste BN reached out to Empire News and the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
The claim has also been debunked by Lead Stories.
Our fact-check sources:
- Facebook, accessed Aug. 10, Snowmobilers.com Search
- The Washington Post, Sept. 8, 2014, Record-shattering snow this winter? Don’t fall for it
- Portland Press Herald, Sept. 10, 2014, Dire winter forecast a snow job
- Florida-Times Union, Sept. 23, 2014, Fact Check: 'Record-breaking' winter was just a gag
- Empire News (web archive), Sept. 6, 2014, Meteorologists Predict Record-Shattering Snowfall Coming Soon
- Empire News, accessed Aug. 10, About/Disclaimer
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