In July 2023, Snopes received mail from readers asking if it was true that metal traffic lights had melted in various locations around the globe. The photo spread as a historic heat wave in the southern U.S. was expected to expand across the country, in addition to the first full week in July 2023 being the hottest global average temperature ever recorded.
In addition to receiving reader mail, we found the claim on social media platforms, like Twitter and Facebook. The photo had been posted on Facebook since at least July 2022. The places where the photo was supposedly taken included Arizona, Texas, California, Florida, Puerto Rico, and the U.K.
It's so hot ? in Texas even the traffic lights are melting. ? pic.twitter.com/XqpoKEYhvV
— AlayaZBVegan (@AlayaZBVegan17) July 18, 2023
Record high temperatures have led to the temporary post-María plastic traffic lights "melting" in Cataño? Puerto Rico pic.twitter.com/yWmej91zoX
— John McCarthy (@EducatedGuest93) June 7, 2023
We found the photo was from none of these locations. The photo showed a traffic light that melted as a result of a scooter fire in Italy in July 2022.
Italian fact-checking organization Open wrote that the flames lapped the traffic light, partially melting it as a result. (The original story was published in Italian. We translated the story using Google Translate.)
Open reported the scooter was confirmed to have caught fire by both the Milan fire brigade and local police. Local firefighters told the publication that the heat probably triggered the scooter catching fire, as it had just been filled with fuel.
As the traffic light was melted by a scooter fire in Milan, not the air temperature in any of the various locations around the world named in social media posts, we rate the claim Miscaptioned.