Was a strange cloud resembling a UFO seen in the sky close to the Ishikawa earthquake on May 5, 2023, and was it similar to the one spotted in Turkey before the devastating earthquake of February 6, 2023? No, that's not true: the disk-shaped cloud, called lenticular cloud, was reported in the Kanto region at the time, hours away from Ishikawa. The formation of lenticular clouds reported in both countries at different times was merely a natural coincidence.
The claim appeared in a video posted on TikTok (archived here) on May 8, 2023. The video depicts a photo of a lenticular cloud in Turkey, followed by another photo showing a similar cloud in Japan. The caption has been translated from Japanese by Lead Stories staff as:
"I hate earthquakes~ #lenscloud #UFOcloud #ishikawaearthquake"
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon May 22 17:10:08 2023 UTC)
Users across Japan began to comment on the video, telling each other they saw the same cloud shape in their respective regions. Some began to speculate that the formation of "weird" clouds is a sign of an impending earthquake, and conspiracy theorists began connecting the Ishikawa earthquakes to the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Weather reports state that the sightings of the cloud were in the Kanto region, which is a six-hour drive from Ishikawa. Furthermore, there is no link between earthquakes and cloud formation. This claim in relation to the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria has been fact-checked by numerous media outlets such as Reuters, which explained that lenticular clouds form due to natural interactions with the air in mountains or mountainous areas. Lead Stories fact checks on the February 6, 2023 earthquake can be found here.
Lead Stories also fact-checked here the claim that an ionospheric research program called HAARP - a frequent target of conspiracy theorists who believe it can weaponize weather - is linked to earthquakes. Several news outlets have also debunked the connection between lenticular clouds and HAARP (High-Frequency Active Aural Research Program): experts and researchers involved with the program have confirmed that HAARP cannot create or amplify natural disasters.
