Climate Change Will Increase the Number and Severity of Tornadoes
Black tornado funnel and lightning on road from 123rf.com
Pro: Tornadoes are Getting More Dangerous
While there have been no long-term trends in the frequency of tornadoes, there have been changes in tornado patterns in recent years. Research has shown that there are fewer days with at least one tornado but more days with over thirty, even as the total number of tornadoes per year has remained relatively stable. In other words, tornado events are becoming more clustered.
There is also evidence to suggest that tornado patterns have shifted geographically. The number of tornadoes in the states that make up Tornado Alley are falling, while tornado events have been on the rise in the states of Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
There is speculation that some of these changes are linked to climate change and its effect on the jet stream. Tornado outbreaks have also coincided with rising ocean temperatures. But no one can say for certain that climate change is a contributing factor in these events. It is very hard to tease out which changes are due to climate change and which changes might be caused by interaction with natural climate fluctuations such as El Niño.
https://everythingclimate.com/climate-change-will-increase-the-number-and-severity-of-tornadoes/
