Tornados Twisters, A Question for the Americans ????????

Question

In view of the present Spate of Tornado Activity in the US . Is the Amount of Tornados Happening More or Less than say 40 to 50 Years ago. In view of so called Global Warming now ,is there more Tornados around. This Question is Pointed at the Elder Citizens as they were around 40-50 Years ago , unless your a Weather Expert or Statician and might know. Are they more Feroscious in your Opinion and do more Damage. I think this is a very important question for today as it makes it more Important for us to reduce Global Warming. Could you Please give us your opinion on the Subject, Thank you.

Answer 1

Tornado ctivity in the afected region is normal--the recent storm is simply an unusually bad one.  

And--as serious as global warming is (very) it is not the sole cause of every weather system. In fact, it has very little to do with day-to-day weather, one way or the other. Global warming refers to long term climate trends, not to local or short term variations. I do wish people would learn at least a little of the basic science involved and stop trying to use every little rainstorm or sunny day as "evidence" on global warming. It just shows how little they know.

Answer 2

maybe

Answer 3

Yes,the number of tornadoes has increased. Their intensity has increased as well.  The increase is a result of more instability in the atmosphere.  The instability is caused by unusual changes in the jet stream as it circles the Earth. When it dips to the south over the US,it brings the Arctic cold fronts. When that abnormally cold air collides with the unusually warmer air from the Gulf of Mexico,the number,and intensity of storms are the deadly results!  I moved to the Pac. N.W. years ago because I knew way back then that climate change was coming. I wanted to be somewhere safer than 'Tornado Alley'!

Answer 4

There is virtually no difference in the tornado activity here vs. 35 years ago.  The only difference is the amount of media attention it receives.  Same with shark attacks by the way.

Answer 5

you all say that now that it`s the same but wait!!!  it`s not over, we`re only at the begining. in two years from now  the world will be in such trouble that even the media will hardly be alive.  and we`re just good at keep on denying facts and to be blind to our essentials. we did it before, many times. the bible told us but we rather choose to ignore it.  peoples always have the touch to wait for crisis to happen before they actually can open their eyes and heart. i`m canadian by the way.   and we now have tornadoes in places that never before it happened. so, i wonder? what the eck is going on?

Answer 6

tornadoes in january and february are rare

tornadoes generally occur in the spring and to a lesser extent in the summer

edit

yes, tornados are rare in january and february in the ohio valley and if you lived here you would know that:

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs...

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/f...

Answer 7

The population is greater today than it was 50 years ago.  This is what causes a higher death toll.  50 years ago, these storms would just pass over open farm land.  Also media coverage gives these storms world wide attention.  Not so decades ago.

The number of storms, the intensity of storms haven't changed over the years.

These storms happen when cold Canadian air pushes down from the north and warm moist air blows up from the Gulf of Mexico.  This is what happened yesterday.

Answer 8

Tornados are dangerous no matter when they happen or where they happen.   They are caused by a convergence of differnet air flows/storm fronts in near perfect set of circumstances.

Check out this site for more information:  http://www.noaa.gov/tornadoes.html

Answer 9

I believe the worst tornado outbreak on record was back in the 30s, during (amazingly enough) another warm stretch of weather.  The number of tornados is pretty much the same, it's just that there are more people and building around now for them to hit, and much more media attention given to every single occurrence.

Edit:  Tornados are definitely not rare in winter in the southeast.  While the real season doesn't usually start until March, it is definitely not uncommon to see them in January and February.  It's because you have the warm air from the Gulf always present to bash against those cold arctic fronts from Canada that drop down.  That's exactly what happened two days ago and has always happened.

Answer 10

According to a meteorologist (Tom Brooks) yesterday who works at the National Severe Storms Laboratory of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the answer to your question is no (or at best inconclusive).

“Winter tornadoes that ripped across parts of the American South this week were unusually lethal but not particularly rare, a U.S. government meteorologist said on Wednesday as the death toll mounted.”

“Tornadoes in the south eastern United States occur in winter roughly once a year. Tornadoes develop in warm, moist air ahead of east-moving cold fronts. There are 800 tornadoes reported in the United States in an average year, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries.”

“Does climate change play any role in the frequency or intensity of tornadoes? Brooks said no, adding that the historical record of tornadoes is insufficient to let scientists figure out what impact, if any, climate change has?

Our current physical understanding of how tornadoes work (is that) some of the ingredients that are important to make a tornado will increase in a greenhouse-enhanced world, some of them will decrease and the balance is unknown," he said.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCri...

I’ll add that there is a strengthening LA NINA in the Pacific at present that could also be playing a part in the conditions [above] that formed these tornadoes.

The NOAA forecast for the next few months of the effects of this La Nina are:

“Expected La Niña impacts during February-April include a continuation of above-average precipitation over Indonesia and below-average precipitation over the central equatorial Pacific.

For the contiguous United States, potential impacts include above-average precipitation in the Northern Rockies, the Pacific Northwest, and the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys. Below-average precipitation is expected across the South, particularly in the south eastern states.”

http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/an...

Thanks to the interest in tornadoes in the past 20 years we now have a good record of activity in this period. What will be watched with interest is if there is any change to the overall trend in the next few decades.

Activity (frequency etc) in the main tornado season is largely determined by the position of the jet streams; these are what really needs watching, will the jet streams alter course?

The jet streams affect weather on a global scale, in particular the Asian monsoons, but also elsewhere. The low position of the Atlantic jet stream over Europe last year meant England got heavy floods at the same time the eastern Mediterranean got record temperatures. If it had been high over northern Europe (it more normally is) then England would have had a heatwave instead.

Answer 11

While I'm sure others will disagree with my opinion, I feel that the tornado activity is the same as it has always been. The difference between now, and lets say 50 years ago is the media coverage. Long gone are the days when people heard about tornados through newspapers, letters, and "the wire", that were followed up with black and white photos. We now have live coverage on tv, the internet, and so forth. There is, of course, more knowledge of tornados now then before, thanks to the scientist that study them, as well as a stronger understanding of the general public. People are just more informed as to the events that take place, the locations they hit, and the damage that they cause, in "real time". So, to answer your question, I feel that the amount of tornados are the same, its just the public in general (and a much larger audience) is more aware.