Warm weather on Friday was a crucial factor as tornados chewed up parts of at least five states, but whether the long-run impacts of climate change is a...
Tornadoes in December are unusual, but not unheard of. Yet the distance of the destructive path for a single twister during this weekend’s deadly weather broke a century-old record.
“This event was not just unusual — it was truly historic and deeply shocking. I fear we are poking the climate beast,” said Jennifer Marlon, a climate scientist at the Yale School of the Environment, in a tweet. She, too, says that the climate change connections to tornados are “complicated.” At least 64 people died in hardest-hit Kentucky, Gov. Andy Beshear said Monday, according to the Associated Press. There were at least another 14 deaths in Illinois, Tennessee, Arkansas and Missouri.Spring-like temperatures across much of the Midwest and South in December helped bring the warm, moist air that produces thunderstorms. Some of this is due to the periodic La Nina, which generally brings warmer than normal winter temperatures to the Southern U.S.
Tornadoes usually lose energy in a matter of minutes, but in this case it was hours, Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini said, according to the Associated Press. That’s partly the reason for the exceptionally long path of Friday’s storm, going more than 200 miles or so, he said. The record was 219 miles was set by a tornado that struck three states in 1925. Gensini thinks the latest will surpass that mark once meteorologists finish analyzing it.
“The Gulf of Mexico is very warm. It means there’s a lot more warmth and moisture because the warmer the ocean, the more moisture that comes off of it, and that moisture and heat have been streaming into the southern half of the U.S.,” Penn State climate-change professor and author Michael Mann said on MSNBC, as he made connections between climate change and unusual storms.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Liberals use deadly tornados to attack Republicans on climate changeSeveral liberals on Twitter, including politicians and celebrities, pointed the finger at climate change and Republicans following a devastating tornado in western Kentucky that killed at least 70 people.
Read more »
Mayfield, Kentucky, likely to be without heat, water for 'long time' after deadly tornadoThe city of Mayfield has been left in shambles after a tornado Friday night. Mayfield reported having no running water, natural gas or wastewater management.
Read more »
Rescuers hunt for survivors after deadly tornadoes rip through several statesRescuers are combing through piles of debris looking for survivors after a deadly tornado outbreak tore through Kentucky and other states late Friday and early Saturday, leaving entire communities devastated.
Read more »
‘I’ve got towns that are gone’: Kentucky struggles to count dead after tornadoesRescuers continue to search for survivors after deadly tornadoes tore through Kentucky and neighboring states over the weekend, destroying entire towns and killing dozens.
Read more »
Altar depicting Last Supper survives catastrophic tornado damage at Kentucky churchAn altar remained standing when the rest of a Kentucky church suffered catastrophic damage from a deadly tornado last week.
Read more »