Minor edge distortions suggest AI generation; clip lacks verified location, date, or source details
The abnormal size hailstorm image is AI generated. PHOTO: VIDEO GRAB
Since April 2026, a video has been doing the rounds on social media, allegedly showing giant balls of ice falling from the sky, bouncing through roads, vehicles and houses. Heavy rain and winds can also be seen in the clip.
On X, a social media user shared the video with the caption: “Giant hailstorm: Ice bombs from the sky.” It racked up 1.7 million views. However, the post did not mention the location shown in the clip, nor did it include a date or context for when and where the footage was recorded.
The clip generated a lot of attention as several users re-shared it. One called it “terrifying”, while another user wrote, “Astaghfirullah [I seek forgiveness from Allah]”. Others also took to the comments section to question whether the video was real.
The clip was also shared on Instagram. “It starts like rain … then everything changes. The sky opens — and frozen projectiles begin to fall with brutal force,” reads the caption, adding that hailstorms could escalate quickly when “strong updrafts suspend ice longer inside storm clouds, allowing it to grow before falling”.
What we found
Reviewing the viral video frame by frame, iVerify Pakistan identified several visual inconsistencies. Firstly, the alleged snowballs appear unnaturally uniform in shape and size, and their movement across the street does not consistently align with real-world physics. In multiple frames, the objects appear to glide or bounce in ways that are not physically plausible, while interactions with water, vehicles, and surrounding environmental elements appear inconsistent or visually unstable.
Minor distortions can also be observed around object edges and background structures, a tell-tale sign of AI-generated content.
Additionally, the clip lacks verifiable supporting details such as a confirmed location, date, and original source.
A forensic analysis of the video showed that several AI detection tools flagged it as being fake. Hive Moderation gave it a 99 per cent likelihood of being AI-generated.
Google’s SynthID detection also indicated patterns in the clip that were consistent with synthetic media.
The clip later received Community Notes on X, which identified it as AI-generated content.
Moreover, a Google search yielded a research paper by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which stated that the largest officially recorded hailstone measured approximately eight inches in diameter and weighed nearly two pounds — roughly the size of a volleyball — recorded in Vivian, South Dakota, USA in 2010.
More recently, a record-large hailstone, 7.1 inches in diameter, was recorded in Texas. It was discovered lying in a roadside ditch on June 2, 2024, according to the National Centres for Environmental Information.
Conclusion
A viral video showing giant hailstones falling down is false.
The clip is AI-generated.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.
