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Deadly Storms: What's Driving the Surge?
Discovery News ^ | April 29, 2011 | By Emily Sohn

Posted on 04/29/2011 5:58:06 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Beyond the dramatic YouTube videos and the devastating stories of lives lost, the recent swell of tornado news has left many people wondering what's driving the sudden swirl of destruction. Does global warming have anything to do with it? And how much more extreme is it going to get?

For better and for worse, experts say, these are questions that they can't answer with certainty. Climate change doesn't act in any particular way on the level of tornadoes. What's more, the frequency of tornadoes in one month does not predict how many twisters will strike in the months that follow.

Instead, this month's turn of events is a result of a sort of perfect atmospheric storm.

"It's sort of your classic combination that can produce large death tolls," Brooks said. "Large tornadoes that are very strong are moving through populated areas in a part of the country that has a high mobile home population. It's a combination of factors that we fortunately don't see very often."

A weakening La Niña may explain much of this April's damaging nature, said Paul Douglas, meteorologist and founder of Weather Nation.

"It's human nature to want a smoking gun, a simple explanation to a very complex atmospheric challenge," Douglas said on Thursday -- one day after the record-setting suite of storms. "Climate change may be one of the many contributing factors, but La Niña was probably a much more significant player in yesterday's historic outbreak."

"Tornadoes require a very specific menu of weather ingredients," he added. "And yesterday, all those factors converged on the Deep South."

As for what's to come, no one can say for sure.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.discovery.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Alabama
KEYWORDS: climategate; envirowhackos; failure; hoax; socialism; tornados; weather
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1 posted on 04/29/2011 5:58:10 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

—”worst tornado outbreak since 1974” seems to manage to creep out in every news story-—seems like it may not be Bushes’fault-—


2 posted on 04/29/2011 6:00:42 AM PDT by rellimpank (--don't believe anything the media or government says about firearms or explosives--)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

I blame Obama.


3 posted on 04/29/2011 6:00:42 AM PDT by TexasFreeper2009 (Obama = Carter 2.0 The Epic Fail Edition)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Was it ¨climate change” when a similar wave of tornadoes hit the same region in the seventies? What a bunch of crap.


4 posted on 04/29/2011 6:01:03 AM PDT by onedoug (If)
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To: TexasFreeper2009

George W. Bush!!


5 posted on 04/29/2011 6:01:50 AM PDT by Broker (Mabuhay!)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

“..the stronger-than-usual tornadoes affecting the southern states were actually predicted from examining the planet’s climatological patterns, specifically those related to the La Nina phenomenon .

“We knew it was going to be a big tornado year,” he said. But the key to that tip-off was unrelated to climate change: “It is related to the natural fluctuations of the planet.”

International News 24/7
28 April 2011 - 22H45
http://www.france24.com/en/20110428-tornadoes-whipped-wind-not-climate-officials
Tornadoes whipped up by wind, not climate: officials


6 posted on 04/29/2011 6:03:35 AM PDT by Matchett-PI ("Freedom's Just Another Word For Nothing Left to Tax " ~ Gagdad Bob)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Jeremiah 51:16


7 posted on 04/29/2011 6:06:31 AM PDT by TurkeyLurkey
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To: onedoug

The best explanation I’ve heard came from Joe Bastardi, formerly of Accuweather.com. He’s a real pro at long range forecasting. Joe says the cause is a cooler Pacific ocean and a warmer Atlantic ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The clash of the airmasses associated with this temperature difference occurs over the SE USA. The cooler Pacific leads to cooler than normal temps in the mid and upper atmosphere which leads to large areas of instability, which, in turn promotes massive, powerful T-storms. He predicted an “active” weather season this spring for the SE USA back before Christmas and, once again, he was right. Joe also says so-called “Global warming” has nothing whatsoever to do with this most recent outbreak.


8 posted on 04/29/2011 6:06:48 AM PDT by Thermalseeker (The theft being perpetrated by Congress and the Fed makes Bernie Maddoff look like a pickpocket.)
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To: rellimpank

The tornado superoutbreak of April 3-4, 1974 resulted in 148 tornadoes in 13 states. Across the United States, 315 people were killed, more than 6,000 injured, and 27,000 families suffered property losses. The Xenia Tornado caused the most deaths of any tornado in the outbreak. In Ohio, 12 tornadoes touched down, killing 36 people.

http://www.ohiohistory.org/etcetera/exhibits/swio/pages/content/1974_tornado.htm


9 posted on 04/29/2011 6:07:01 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer (biblein90days.org))
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
ALGORE is doing it.
He is worried that people have caught on to his lies. . .
10 posted on 04/29/2011 6:07:17 AM PDT by DeaconRed (O The carnival barker said: "We don't have time for This silliness" I agree Impeach 0 Now)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

It’s rather simple really. Heck my nine year old who loves books on tornadoes can even explain it. It’s an El Nino year and the Northern part of the U.S. is much colder than normal, and we all know Tornadoes are caused by cold air bumping up against hot air from the Gulf. The colder that “cold air” part of the equation is, the more tornadoes you are likely to have and with greater intensity.

Speaking of cold air, here in Washington we just had the coldest April on record.

So all this talk about “Climate Change” causing it, is nothing but a sticking pile of crap. Next year they could just as easily have a mild tornado season. Like the mild Hurricane seasons that followed Katrina.


11 posted on 04/29/2011 6:15:07 AM PDT by NavyCanDo
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Why is it that anymore, whenever there’s bad weather somewhere, people feel the need to rush and find an ‘explanation’?

IT’S WEATHER, for God’s sake!


12 posted on 04/29/2011 6:15:16 AM PDT by KoRn (Department of Homeland Security, Certified - "Right Wing Extremist")
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To: thackney
1974-75 was about the time they were scaring us with the Coming Ice Age. I don't know that anyone blamed a cooling trend on the 1974 tornado outbreak, but we seem to be in another cooling phase and we seem to be having notable tornadoes.

Maybe Global Warming would be a good thing.

13 posted on 04/29/2011 6:15:49 AM PDT by ClearCase_guy
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

There was actually a crazy guy here yesterday posting proof it was a weather machine thread- and he honestly believed it. It was good for lols


14 posted on 04/29/2011 6:16:35 AM PDT by mnehring
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To: TurkeyLurkey

Also Psalm 29

A psalm of David

1 Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.

5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.

9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the LORD is enthroned as King forever.

11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.


15 posted on 04/29/2011 6:21:06 AM PDT by Pegita ('Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His word ...)
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To: mnehring

It’s spring. The only difference is that the real big storms built up in the southeast and rolled through metro areas instead of hitting in the plains. No different than other years.


16 posted on 04/29/2011 6:21:24 AM PDT by rstrahan
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To: Oldeconomybuyer
Does global warming have anything to do with it?

Utter foolishness. We have no idea as to "Super Outbreaks" in the past centuries. Weather reporting then would have been reduced to a tribal elder pointing out to young bucks "Me had wigwam here, but Great Spirit sent great wind which blew wigwam away." "Gee, tribal elder, how big was the wind?" "Heap big." "Ugh!"

17 posted on 04/29/2011 6:23:00 AM PDT by LRS ("This is silly! It can't be! It can't be!!" "Oh yes it is! I said you wouldn't know the joint.")
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To: rstrahan; All

For some laughs.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2712028/posts


18 posted on 04/29/2011 6:23:00 AM PDT by mnehring
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

Our modern Einsteins are about to discover ... Spring.

After Al Gore discovered Summer, this seems like a regressive step.


19 posted on 04/29/2011 6:23:51 AM PDT by MrEdd (Heck? Geewhiz Cripes, thats the place where people who don't believe in Gosh think they aint going.)
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To: steelyourfaith

“Climate change may be one of the many contributing factors, but La Niña was probably a much more significant player in yesterday’s historic outbreak.”


20 posted on 04/29/2011 6:26:43 AM PDT by Fractal Trader
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