Posted on 03/03/2007 9:19:16 AM PST by Kaslin
The tornadoes that tore across the south-eastern US on Thursday, killing at least 19 people, were devastating but not unprecedented, say tornado experts. However, the twisters did strike unusually early in the year.
The tornado season in the US normally reaches its peak between mid-April and June. The tornadoes tend to get stronger as the year progresses because warming temperatures increase the amount of energy in the atmosphere.
"Early March is a bit early for a severe tornado," says Nigel Bolton, national forecaster at the UK Met Office and member of the UK-based Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO). But he notes that such events have happened before this early in the year, when the key atmospheric circumstances combine.
In this case, the extremely cold US was probably a contributing factor. Tornadoes in the US form when a front of dry, cold air descending from the north meets warm, moist air coming up from the south. Sometimes, a body of the cold air slides over the top of the warm air, trapping it underneath.
This creates unstable atmospheric conditions, and if there is enough energy in the system, the warm air will punch through the denser cold air above, triggering thunderstorms. The next step required is for the winds to be changing their speed and direction with altitude. "If there's enough rotation you get a tornado," says Bolton (see graphic).
(Excerpt) Read more at environment.newscientist.com ...
Have I got it right?
I did. And Americus GA is 45 miles from here. They were all around, just not on my property, thank God.
"But we have been told that they were due to global warming!"
The new term will be "climate change".
That way everything will be covered and blamed on someone.
Quick, build an ARK!
All weather changes = Bush's fault
Wow!
Here in Wisconsin I'd gladly trade your warm southern winter for my wonderful, cold, Wisconsin one. And you can have some our snow too. Pretty please??
I would LOVE to take some cold weather. I feel like winter passed me by, and now I have to tolerate another nasty summer before beautiful Fall comes again.
It's Global WARMING® you BOZO!
Uh huh *nodding*
Thanks for those pictures! I just e-mail the first to the whiners in my area who complained about a foot of snow! ;^)
Dunno if you've got it right or not, but sounds close to what some folks are saying.
Sigh.
Looks like the spring races at Oswego Speedway will be held off a couple weeks this year.
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