Are Deadly Winter Tornadoes a Result of Climate Change?
2021-12-14
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1In the United States, more than 90 people died across six midwestern and southern states when strong winds known as tornadoes destroyed homes,
2work buildings and religious centers on Friday night.
3Such weather events do happen in December,
4but they do not happen often this time of year because the temperature on the ground is not so different from air high in the sky.
5However, people in Kentucky said the air was warm and wet on Friday.
6Weather scientists said the mixing of the warm and cold air can create "instability" which produces storms and the fast, spinning winds of tornadoes.
7The question is whether the deadly storm came because of climate change.
8The weather scientists, known as meteorologists, are not completely sure.
9Victor Gensini is a meteorologist at Northern Illinois University.
10He said strong winds are common in the winter,
11but they do not create tornadoes because the air close to the Earth is also cold.
12He called the tornado that traveled hundreds of miles on Friday "remarkable."
13The weather scientists say a warming planet has something to do with strong winter storms.
14The National Weather Service (NWS) noted that since 1950 there had not been a November tornado recorded in the northeastern U.S. state of Connecticut.
15There was one last month, however.
16John Gordon of the NWS in Louisville, Kentucky called what happened on Friday "the worst-case scenario."
17Gensini said the tornado traveled about 300 kilometers.
18Normally, tornadoes die out in minutes, he said, but this one lasted for hours.
19He said the storm moved as a fast as a car going down a large roadway.
20Harold Brooks studies tornadoes at the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
21While the U.S. has more tornadoes than any other country, tornadoes only form once out of every 10 strong storms.
22As a result, he said, it is hard to say if the winter tornadoes are closely related to climate change.
23Gensini, however, said the conditions for strong storms are becoming more common in the winter as the planet warms up.
24In the past, Brooks said, tornadoes happened more often during warm days in the summer.
25However, as the winter becomes warmer, especially in the southern U.S., tornado season will shift.
26More will happen in the winter and fewer will happen in the summer.
27Jason Furtado is a meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma.
28He said people who live in places like Kentucky, which suffered the most from Friday's storms, are now living in an area where tornadoes are common.
29That is a shift south and east from the past.
30He said the people in that area of the U.S. are "becoming increasingly vulnerable."
31I'm Jill Robbins.
1In the United States, more than 90 people died across six midwestern and southern states when strong winds known as tornadoes destroyed homes, work buildings and religious centers on Friday night. 2Such weather events do happen in December, but they do not happen often this time of year because the temperature on the ground is not so different from air high in the sky. 3However, people in Kentucky said the air was warm and wet on Friday. 4Weather scientists said the mixing of the warm and cold air can create "instability" which produces storms and the fast, spinning winds of tornadoes. 5Climate change 6The question is whether the deadly storm came because of climate change. The weather scientists, known as meteorologists, are not completely sure. 7Victor Gensini is a meteorologist at Northern Illinois University. He said strong winds are common in the winter, but they do not create tornadoes because the air close to the Earth is also cold. He called the tornado that traveled hundreds of miles on Friday "remarkable." 8The weather scientists say a warming planet has something to do with strong winter storms. 9The National Weather Service (NWS) noted that since 1950 there had not been a November tornado recorded in the northeastern U.S. state of Connecticut. There was one last month, however. 10John Gordon of the NWS in Louisville, Kentucky called what happened on Friday "the worst-case scenario." 11Gensini said the tornado traveled about 300 kilometers. Normally, tornadoes die out in minutes, he said, but this one lasted for hours. He said the storm moved as a fast as a car going down a large roadway. 12Harold Brooks studies tornadoes at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. While the U.S. has more tornadoes than any other country, tornadoes only form once out of every 10 strong storms. As a result, he said, it is hard to say if the winter tornadoes are closely related to climate change. 13Gensini, however, said the conditions for strong storms are becoming more common in the winter as the planet warms up. 14Patterns are changing 15In the past, Brooks said, tornadoes happened more often during warm days in the summer. However, as the winter becomes warmer, especially in the southern U.S., tornado season will shift. More will happen in the winter and fewer will happen in the summer. 16Jason Furtado is a meteorologist at the University of Oklahoma. He said people who live in places like Kentucky, which suffered the most from Friday's storms, are now living in an area where tornadoes are common. That is a shift south and east from the past. 17He said the people in that area of the U.S. are "becoming increasingly vulnerable." 18I'm Jill Robbins. 19Dan Friedell adapted this story for Learning English based on reporting by the Associated Press. Susan Shand was the editor. 20Have you ever seen a tornado where you live? Tell us in the Comments Section and visit our Facebook page. 21___________________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23tornado - n. a violent and destructive storm in which powerful winds move around a central point 24instability 25spin - v. to turn or cause someone or something to turn around repeatedly 26remarkable - adj. unusual or surprising 27scenario - n. a description of what could possibly happen 28vulnerable - adj. open to attack, harm, or damage