00:51 Watch Out for These Fake Photos in Your Social Feed Fake photos always make the rounds on social media when hurricanes affect the US. Here's some to look out for as Hurricane Lane hits Hawaii.

During big weather events, we here at weather.com devote our Twitter and Facebook feeds to forecasts, life-saving advice and stories that make a difference.

While social media is a beneficial tool for weather forecasters to spread weather alerts quickly, it also gives people a platform to rapidly spread a lie. All it takes is one person to find an old picture or video, rebrand it as current and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. Then it has the potential to go viral all over again.

Before you share the next striking, unbelievable image during a severe weather event, we want you to know how to recognize a phony. Spotting fake photos isn't easy, but it's slightly simpler when abiding by one maxim: if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

As for recycled weather photos that came from a past event, websites like Tineye and Google Image Search can help pick out reused images that were posted on the Internet long ago. To use Tineye or Google Image Search, just save the photo in question and upload it to either site. They will tell you if that photo has been previously shared on social media.

Here are a few more examples of faked or repurposed weather images that went viral in the past. Keep an eye out – you never know when you'll see them again.

1. The Shark That Only Shows Up During Hurricanes

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/b85766e4-52fb-4cbf-bba4-26448639d400.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/b85766e4-52fb-4cbf-bba4-26448639d400.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/b85766e4-52fb-4cbf-bba4-26448639d400.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

This shark was spotted swimming along a street in Puerto Rico during Hurricane Irene in 2011, then made an appearance 14 months later in the New York City subway when Superstorm Sandy rushed ashore . It was recycled on social media during the deadly South Carolina floods. You guessed it – the shark isn't always in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's just Photoshopped in there.

The shark was originally photographed in a 2005 issue of Africa Geographic , so if you see photos of a shark that looks like this one, swimming in an unlikely location during a storm, it's probably not a real photo.

Another fake image of a shark in floodwaters from Sandy was recirculated during the South Carolina floods. Again, if it looks too good to be true, it should be investigated.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bbshark1.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bbshark1.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/bbshark1.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

We also saw this image of an Australian crocodile passed off as an alligator that was spotted near floodwaters in South Carolina. Yet again, it was a fake.

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cqervwoweaatx04.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cqervwoweaatx04.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/cqervwoweaatx04.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

2. The Photo of Planes Underwater in Houston Is Also Faked

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/divht0vvwaaciht.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/divht0vvwaaciht.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/divht0vvwaaciht.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

There's a reason this photo looks legitimate – it was meant to look incredibly real when Climate Central mocked up projections of what New York City's La Guardia Airport could look like after sea level rise. But it's not an overhead photo of Houston's airport.

3. This Rotating Supercell Hovering Over, Well, Just About Anything

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/567a9fb2-becb-4dc6-b98d-6aacaa7f995b.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/567a9fb2-becb-4dc6-b98d-6aacaa7f995b.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/567a9fb2-becb-4dc6-b98d-6aacaa7f995b.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

Take a close look at this photo and study the structure of this rotating supercell. This image is particularly tricky because people have been known to take the storm's structure and superimpose it over landmarks, like the Statue of Liberty during Superstorm Sandy . It is also placed over different parts of the Plains during severe weather outbreaks, so keep an eye out for this image – and if you see it, don't share it.

The original photo was taken by Mike Hollingshead, a storm chaser who runs the website Extreme Instability . Since then, the image has been copied and Photoshopped during multiple severe weather events.

4. Landmark Nearby? It's Probably Fake

This video of surfers catching huge waves near Australia's Sydney Opera House was posted in 2012, then quickly debunked as a fake when Storyful reviewed it. One way fakers can make their content more shareable is by superimposing it near a recognizable landmark, so when you see something like this, it should raise a red flag.

This is very similar to the photo of the Statue of Liberty during Sandy mentioned above. Both are fake.

5. Tornado and Lightning Near the Oil Rig

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/sedalia2_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/sedalia2_0.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/sedalia2_0.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

This is a photo we receive frequently during severe weather season. Basically, any time there's a nighttime tornado report, this photo will be passed around on social media as if it were a brand-new photo. It isn't. The National Weather Service posted the original photo from 1991 , and the oil rig was Photoshopped into the image at a later date.

6. The Ever-Reappearing Funnel Cloud

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/5605f290-92de-4b11-9351-1a4989a9ae37.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/5605f290-92de-4b11-9351-1a4989a9ae37.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/5605f290-92de-4b11-9351-1a4989a9ae37.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > (AP Photo/Lori Mehmen)

Nearly every time there's a tornado outbreak, this photo is sent to us on Twitter and passed off as brand-new. It appears to be a massive twister, about to destroy everything in the picture. This image isn't Photoshopped; What you see in this picture actually happened, and it's easier to trace back to the origin than most overused weather images.

Lori Mehman captured this photo on June 10, 2008 in Orchard, Iowa, as confirmed by the Associated Press. This is likely a funnel or wall cloud, not a tornado, and it left very little damage. Yet it has become the go-to image for tornado "witnesses" who want to tell the world they just saw a huge tornado. Don't fall for it.

7. Crowded Photos Are Usually Fake Photos

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/039c7958-435b-457c-b6a9-ad65284f57e6.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/039c7958-435b-457c-b6a9-ad65284f57e6.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/039c7958-435b-457c-b6a9-ad65284f57e6.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

If there's more than one kind of crazy weather phenomenon occurring in a photo, it's probably fake. More than one tornado in a single area is rare, though not impossible. Three lightning bolts striking at the same time in nearly the same spot is rare, too. But three lightning bolts striking behind a pair of twisters? That's too good to be true.

The lightning bolts were captured in what was likely a composite image by Daniel Loretto on Aug. 14, 2010 , according to Reddit user "MrDorkESQ." The storm occurred in Graz, Austria, and there were no tornadoes accompanying those lightning bolts.

8. Ironic or Comical Images Are Usually Fake

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/9ef1fb20-e0f9-4a21-89d0-ef8758f0b2bd.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/9ef1fb20-e0f9-4a21-89d0-ef8758f0b2bd.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/9ef1fb20-e0f9-4a21-89d0-ef8758f0b2bd.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

A large cross falling through the roof of an adult store with Paula Deen guiding it? That's a pretty obvious Photoshop job, but it gets a little less clear when you remove Deen from the image. The photo in the tweet below was shared hundreds of thousands of times during a tornado outbreak in the South months ago, and many of those who shared it thought it was a real image.

A good rule of thumb with funny or ironic photos is that they're probably fake.

9. Too Much Snow? Blurry? Probably Fake

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/li8ub9jpgogjoaxsoftq.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/li8ub9jpgogjoaxsoftq.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/li8ub9jpgogjoaxsoftq.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > Fake Buffalo Snow Photo (Facebook/Nassfeld)

Back in November 2014, parts of western New York saw tremendous snow totals from a lake-effect event that left feet of snow behind. This photo was distributed and branded as people in Buffalo clearing snow off a roof, but the photo is actually from an Austrian ski resort, as the photo was posted to its Facebook page in February 2014 .

Photos that have been shared over and over on the Internet for long periods of time usually degrade in quality, so when you see a blurry, low-quality photo, that's a red flag that it has been shared multiple times over the course of many weather events and probably isn't from a recent storm.

10. Tornado Gobbling Up a Rainbow

<img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/7c88f0fd-a780-461b-8fd5-0dab86cc11a9.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/7c88f0fd-a780-461b-8fd5-0dab86cc11a9.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com//util/image/w/7c88f0fd-a780-461b-8fd5-0dab86cc11a9.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" >

Stop. Just ... stop.