A project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund

Global warming will spawn severe storms and tornados, reports NASA

August 31st, 2007

tornado-oklahoma-1999.jpgWe have known for a while that global warming is making our weather more extreme, especially extreme heat, drought, heavy rainfall, and flooding. Now we have more predictions:

NASA scientists have developed a new climate model that indicates that the most violent severe storms and tornadoes may become more common as Earth’s climate warms.

Perhaps that is why we have been setting records for tornados lately. This is especially bad news for this country because, as the study notes: “The central/east U.S. experiences the most severe thunderstorms and tornadoes on Earth.”

The full study, “Will moist convection be stronger in a warmer climate?” was published in Geophysical Research Letters (subs. req’d) earlier this month. The research has mixed implications for wildfires:

For the western United States, drying in the warmer climate reduces the frequency of lightning-producing storms that initiate forest fires, but the strongest storms occur 26% more often.

What does this mean?

“These findings may seem to imply that fewer storms in the future will be good news for disastrous western U.S. wildfires,” said Tony Del Genio, lead author of the study and a scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, New York. “But drier conditions near the ground combined with higher lightning flash rates per storm may end up intensifying wildfire damage instead.”

The bottom line: The weather is getting more extreme, human-caused global warming is the main reason, and if we don’t act soon to reduce emissions, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

UPDATE: NASA has posted the entire extreme weather study here.

Related Posts:

Share

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2007 at 11:35 am and is filed under Extreme Weather. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

31 Responses to “Global warming will spawn severe storms and tornados, reports NASA”

  1. johnny0 Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 12:14 pm

    I’ve got to dig Heavy Weather out of the garage.

    http://www.amazon.com/ Heavy-Weather-Bruce-Sterling/ dp/ 055357292X

  2. Paul K Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 12:46 pm

    2004 was indeed the record year for US tornadoes. I note in the linked article: The higher numbers do not necessarily mean more tornadoes are occurring than in the past. Better reporting systems contribute to the record, said Mike Smith, founder and chief executive of WeatherData, a private forecasting service based in Wichita. “If we had had the radars, the spotters and the warning systems in the 1950s, there are a couple of years — like ‘57 or ‘55 –that it wouldn’t surprise me if they had more tornadoes than we have now,” Smith said. “But with the revolution in tornado science and detection that started in the early 1970s, it’s easier to set a record now.”
    This NOAA chart shows that numbers for the years since 2004 are significantly - more than 25% - lower.

  3. IANVS Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 1:32 pm

    Joe,

    Your Climate Progress website is now linked to Online Resources at The Devil’s Chaplain http://devilschaplain2010.blogspot.com/

    Thanks, Joe, and keep up the good work. My kids & grandkids are counting on clear-headed, outspoken people like you. –IANVS

  4. david Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 5:48 pm

    throw out all data prior to the year 2000 . first six months this year 900 tornadoes compared to 600 last year its because the change in the jet stream flows coming down from montana the drought would change these flows just look at the water levels in the rivers (lower) to back that up fish are dying and the earth is parched
    its like el nino plus la nina on a gobal scale at the same time china 399 people struck by lightning up to august
    then in itlay the lava directional flows have changed so it is flowing down the other side of the mt then 3–4 weeks continuious flowing earlier this year to add to that some regions have to raise their vineyards off the ground by 2 metres due to an increase in low level lying frost build up al this is CAUSE AND EFECT AND WE ARE FAILING TO PUT THE DOTS TOGETHER

  5. john Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 7:19 pm

    The commenters focused on the number of storms/tornadoes, but the study also addressed intensity. And the last few years has seen some of the largest and most intense tornadoes ever.

  6. Paul K Says:
    August 31st, 2007 at 8:22 pm

    John,
    According to the NOAA website recent years have been below average in the number of intense tornadoes. The relevant chart is here. You have to scroll down a bit to see it. I’m looking for info on microbursts like the one that recently caused so much damage in Chicago. Don’t know if there is enough reliable data to see if there is an increase in these intense storms which would play into Joe’s warnings about extreme weather and global warming.

  7. hippygeerl93 Says:
    September 1st, 2007 at 4:47 pm

    Even if we have less tornados they are getting stronger. Its from the warming which rises and makes stronger dangerous weather incidents. This will keep happing until we can reduce the carbon dioxide pollution of our air. I read China is building too many new power plants where they burn coal to make power and makes too many carbon dioxide too What can we do to make global warming better if china has all these factories? I am so worried I wish Al Gore was presdient instead of Goerge Bush. And he got us into this war, think of all the carbon doxide from all the tanks and bombs!!

  8. Dr_Bob Says:
    September 3rd, 2007 at 7:21 am

    George Bush started the War on Global Warming?

  9. EAGLE Says:
    September 27th, 2007 at 2:28 pm

    WE HAVE THE SOLUTION ON OUR HANDS TO STOP THE GLOBAL WARMING DONT CONTAMINATED OUR PLANET WITH INDUSTRIAL GAS
    DOCTOR I HOPE IS NOT TOO LATE TO STOP THE HUMAN STUPIDITY.

  10. Brianne Says:
    April 5th, 2008 at 12:39 am

    i believe leave information of the tornado like is it a f0, f1, f2, f3, f4, and f5 things like that can draw someones eye to there attention

  11. Noah Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 3:23 pm

    That must of been the worst tornado YET!!!!!

  12. Noah Says:
    April 29th, 2008 at 3:24 pm

    That must of been the worst tornado YET!!!!! I feel bad for all the people that lost there homes!

  13. Megan T Says:
    May 23rd, 2008 at 1:55 pm

    That tornado must of been scary and worst than Hurricane Katrina and I don’t know the name of the tornado.

  14. Anonymous Says:
    June 14th, 2008 at 9:25 pm

    what this wy global warming we need to protect what god gave us and mather nautuer

  15. Bob Says:
    June 19th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    You guys are falling right into the absurdity of “we caused it,” It’s great for the anti-capitalists who have been ‘nurtured’ by our centers of higher learning. Read that as the progressive/socialist approach to going back to covered wagons. Why not log in to NOAA web site and see what’s happened with the sun in the current sun spot cycle 23. Sun spots are two years late for upcoming cycle 24! And, we’re coming off of four to five decades of the strongest sun spot cycles - ever. Ask yourselves this question: What comes first, warming or CO2?

  16. Paula Says:
    June 21st, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    People……..get help. Now. You guys are making yourselves crazy over this global warming thing and it is the biggest scam ever perpetrated on humanity. The fact is that science has only the most rudimentary, elementary knowledge of how our atmosphere works. For all the ‘knowledge’ we have, there is an infinite amount that we DON’T know and probably never will.
    Besides, *who says* that our present climate is the most ideal climate the earth can have? Is this not the acme of foolishness and egocentricity?

    [Paula -- let's see. A few billion years, no human civilization. 11,000 years of stable climate, human civilization emerges. Could be random -- not. Have your children comment when we hit 1000 ppm and see how much they like it.]

  17. lousie Says:
    June 26th, 2008 at 5:53 pm

    Wow, are you joking Paula, if this is such a “scam” why do you think we have been getting so much bad weather and 1st things first why did you type in globalwarming if you think it is not real??

  18. Faith Says:
    June 28th, 2008 at 7:34 am

    We are so arrogant that we think we invented the weather.

    There are always two parallel answers–the secularist answer and God’s truth. Want the truth? Ask God.

  19. lydia Says:
    July 16th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    i am in love with tornados and soo interested! But if global warminng can cause bad and sever stroms these need to stop!!!

    from lydia

    p.s please wriye back!!!

  20. Lydia Says:
    July 16th, 2008 at 12:32 pm

    haha louisa ino!! WE do havce bad weather!

  21. Sydney Says:
    September 21st, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    WE need to start takeing care of our Earth, I came across this website doing a school report and I am flabbergasted. Global Warming is going to whipe out our planet sooner or later and us humans are going to regret not taking care of our homes.

    I Believe we can prevent this but I don’t think we are causing it completely. It’s more natural disatures such as volcanoes then us I believe.

  22. Estetik Says:
    December 5th, 2008 at 11:40 am

    The commenters focused on the number of storms/tornadoes, but the study also addressed intensity. And the last few years has seen some of the largest and most intense tornadoes ever.

  23. oyun Says:
    January 4th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    ı have followed your writing for a long time.really you have given very successful information.
    In spite of my english trouale,I am trying to read and understand your writing.
    And ı am following frequently.I hope that you will be with us together with much more scharings.
    I hope that your success will go on.

  24. Estetik Says:
    January 15th, 2009 at 2:47 am

    thanks for you,nice job.

  25. Denizli Rehberi Says:
    January 29th, 2009 at 3:08 am

    Denizli Rehber
    Wow great post thanks man

  26. sacekimi Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 7:17 am

    The bottom line: The weather is getting more extreme, human-caused global warming is the main reason, and if we don’t act soon to reduce emissions, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet…

    Perfect !

  27. laptop servisi Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 7:19 am

    We have known for a while that global warming is making our weather more extreme, especially extreme heat, drought, heavy rainfall, and flooding.

  28. site ekle Says:
    April 10th, 2009 at 7:20 am

    Wonderful article thanks…

  29. jose jimenez Says:
    April 28th, 2009 at 10:17 am

    me gusta mamar la verga y mas si tiene artos mecos hai k si kieren k se las mame este es mi correo!!chepe.cho.lo@hotmail.com

  30. Yemek Tarifi Says:
    May 22nd, 2009 at 8:12 am

    Thank you very much, an excellent share…These are really very useful…

  31. medyum Says:
    July 2nd, 2009 at 1:40 pm

    i believe leave information of the tornado like is it a f0, f1, f2, f3, f4, and f5 things like that can draw someones eye to there attention…. Medyum

Leave a Reply