TV News LIES

Saturday, Apr 26th

Last update08:40:07 AM GMT

You are here News Environment Global warming to make US conditions more ripe for tornado-making storms, study says

Global warming to make US conditions more ripe for tornado-making storms, study says

E-mail Print PDF

global warmingConditions that spawn severe thunderstorms – including tornado-makers – across the US are expected to appear more frequently by the end of the century, according to new research.

Until now, studies of the potential impact of global warming on severe and tornadic thunderstorms generally have concluded that a key element needed – a sudden change in wind speed or direction with altitude known as vertical wind shear – would weaken on average as the climate warmed.

This would deprive thunderstorms of the opportunity to grow to the most intense levels, even as three other key ingredients – warm surface temperatures, lots of moisture in the air near the ground, and cold air at higher altitudes – were abundant. It was tough to say whether global warming held the potential to boost the number of severe thunderstorms.

The new research confirms the general pattern of weaker shear over the US, on average, in a warmer world. But when the scientists conducting the modeling study burrowed into the numbers behind the average, they found that as the climate warmed, shear tended to strengthen on days when the other ingredients also were abundant. These other ingredients determine the potential energy available to form a thunderstorm – energy that climate and weather researchers refer to as convective available potential energy, or CAPE.

More...


Most Recent Related Stories...


Powerful line of storms could bring tornadoes, hail the size of baseballs

Hail, tornadoesAs parts of the central U.S. recover from a deadly outbreak of severe weather, a line...

Puerto Rico goes completely dark after another island-wide power outage

Puerto Rico The island of Puerto Rico is suffering another island-wide power outage, just months after a dayslong...

EPA begins layoffs of environmental justice staff

epa layoffsThe Environmental Protection Agency sent termination notices on Tuesday to staff who work on environmental justice...

Noaa fires hundreds of climate workers after court clears way for dismissals

Noaa workers fired Letters went out to hundreds of workers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) on...
 
America's # 1 Enemy
Tee Shirt
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
TVNL Tee Shirt
 
TVNL TOTE BAG
Conserve our Planet
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
Get your 9/11 & Media
Deception Dollars
& Help Support TvNewsLIES.org!
 
The Loaded Deck
The First & the Best!
The Media & Bush Admin Exposed!