Are Deadly Winter Tornadoes a Result of Climate Change?

 

In the United States, more than 90 people died across six midwestern and southern states when strong winds known as tornadoes² destroyed homes, work buildings and religious centers on Friday night.

Such 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.

However, people in Kentucky said the air was warm and wet on Friday.

Weather scientists said the mixing of the warm and cold air can create "instability" which produces storms and the fast, spinning winds of tornadoes.

Climate change

The question is whether the deadly storm came because of climate change. The weather scientists, known as meteorologists, are not completely sure.

Victor 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 tornado¹ that traveled hundreds of miles on Friday "remarkable³."

The weather scientists say a warming planet has something to do with strong winter storms.

The National Weather Service (NWS) noted⁴ 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.

John Gordon of the NWS in Louisville, Kentucky called what happened on Friday "the worst-case scenario⁵."

Gensini 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.

Harold Brooks⁶ 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.

Gensini, however, said the conditions for strong storms are becoming more common in the winter as the planet warms up.

Patterns are changing

In 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.

Jason 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.

He said the people in that area of the U.S. are "becoming increasingly vulnerable."

Words in This Story

tornado – n. a violent and destructive storm in which powerful winds move around a central point

instability

spin – v. to turn or cause someone or something to turn around repeatedly

remarkable – adj. unusual or surprising

scenario – n. a description of what could possibly happen

vulnerable – adj. open to attack, harm, or damage

1 tornado   

n.飓风，龙卷风

参考例句：

• A tornado whirled into the town last week.龙卷风上周袭击了这座城市。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。

2 tornadoes   

n.龙卷风，旋风( tornado的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Tornadoes, severe earthquakes, and plagues create wide spread havoc. 龙卷风、大地震和瘟疫成普遍的毁坏。 来自互联网
• Meteorologists are at odds over the working of tornadoes. 气象学者对龙卷风的运动方式看法不一。 来自互联网

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

5 scenario   

n.剧本，脚本；概要

参考例句：

• But the birth scenario is not completely accurate.然而分娩脚本并非完全准确的。
• This is a totally different scenario.这是完全不同的剧本。

6 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》