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Earth United States Science

US Drought Brings A Surprise Benefit: No Tornados (cnn.com) 90

Posted by EditorDavid from the rain-or-blow dept.
Slashdot reader turkeydance tipped us off to news that America hasn't had a single tornado in November, even though last year it experienced 99, and averages 58 every November. CNN reports: Drought is overwhelming Southeastern states this fall, and temperatures have soared, depleting ground moisture. Storms need moist air to develop, and the lack of moisture this fall has inhibited storm development both for the much needed rain and the formation of supercell storms capable of producing tornadoes. Precipitation has been near or at zero for weeks in the region. The last measurable day of rain in Birmingham, Alabama, was September 18... As a result, wildfires have become the main disaster threat this fall. The last five years have all seen a below-average number of tornados, and between 2012 and 2014 the U.S. saw fewer tornadoes than any previous three-year stretch.
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US Drought Brings A Surprise Benefit: No Tornados More

US Drought Brings A Surprise Benefit: No Tornados

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  • Interesting.

    As they say, everything is connected to everything else.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by hey! ( 33014 )

      It's an ill wind that blows nobody good.

    • This statistic will not really be interesting until November is over. We are less than half way through it. So really this story is saying that the US has not had a tornado for less than two weeks so what it should be compared to is how often that happens. If they really want to pull stupid stunts like this they should at least try to make it really sensational. They can run a story half way through January claiming that that US has had no tornadoes all year, Britain can have one claiming that the sun has n
      • Tornado season is March through November [citylab.com], with the VAST majority of tornadoes occuring in May through August. We're in the last 2 weeks of a ~36 week season, so we're not "half way" through, we're 95% of the way through.
        • Thanks but how is your comment at all relevant given that the claim was about tornadoes in November and not all year?
          • The article FOCUSES on November, but the key quote relevant to the post you replied to is: "People don't think about November being a season for severe weather so they tend to let their guard down, especially when storms have been virtually nonexistent," In other words, there have been vanishingly few tornadoes ALL season.
  • Will climate activists blame the drought on global warming and try to argue that we should have more frequent/severe tornadoes?
    • So you agree with global warming trends?

    • Re:Will climate activists argue... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by GrumpySteen ( 1250194 ) on Sunday November 13, 2016 @01:59PM (#53276735)

      Are you going to argue that the southeast shouldn't have rain and claim that becoming a lifeless desert is preferable to the possibility of more frequent/severe tornadoes?

      Or are you just going continue to make up more ridiculous strawman arguments that you wish climate activists would make because it would make them easier to dismiss?

      • no, but a few years ago the same climate scientists were saying the USA would be seeing record numbers of tornadoes and super F5 tornadoes every year due to climate change. just like they were saying we would be seeing record numbers of Cat 5 hurricanes after Katrina

        so far the opposite has happened

        • You might not quite grasp the fact that you've gotten older, but the 70s (when the conjecture of global cooling gained brief popularity before being disproven) were 40 years ago. 40 is not a few.

        • USA would be seeing record numbers of tornadoes and super F5 tornadoes
          You miss a few things: if it is to dry there can no tornado form. Nevertheless the scientists where right: it is hot in the tornado region. So about what exactly are you complaining?

          just like they were saying we would be seeing record numbers of Cat 5 hurricanes after Katrina
          Yes, and we have those. But they have different names, like Taifun, Cyclone etc. Because they luckily for you did not happen in the USA.

          One of the biggest storms in

      • The north west is going through drought. Your orange juice, and normal fruits and may varieties of vegetables are not going to mature. Look forward to high prices, and a drop in the quality of produce.

        Of course, Canada has a surplus of water, and with the NAFTA being rolled back by Trump, that water is going to remain in Canada. Canada provides soft-wood lumber to the USA, that it cannot provide with it's own resources. So, Canada welcomes a new NAFTA deal, as a win and a win for both.

        Anyway, the Koch b

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Will climate activists blame the drought on global warming and try to argue that we should have more frequent/severe tornadoes?

      That's the way I understand it.

      See I study climate science. I read what the conservative media says about what the liberal media says about what the politicians say about what the climate scientist say - so, I am an expert.

      And what the consensus is that climate is bad. We need to live in a climate free World.

      • "We need to live in a climate free World." I think the Moon has one of those. (And yes, I know that was sarcasm...)

    • Re:Will climate activists argue... (Score:5, Interesting)

      by 93 Escort Wagon ( 326346 ) on Sunday November 13, 2016 @05:22PM (#53277561)

      Will climate activists blame the drought on global warming and try to argue that we should have more frequent/severe tornadoes?

      People need to learn to differentiate between local, regional, and global phenomena. Not every out-of-the-ordinary event is related to climate change. Events which deviate far from the norm are probably NOT related to anthropogenic global warming.

      During this same period of severe southeastern drought, most of the western U.S. has been significantly wetter than normal. Many places have experienced 200-400% of their typical rainfall.

      Also during this same period... Most of the U.S. (both west and east) has been warmer than normal; but much of northern Asia and Eastern Europe has been cooler than normal.

  • Thank you climate change! (Score:1)

    by Anonymous Coward

    Another benefit of climate change...bring on the emissions!

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday November 13, 2016 @01:54PM (#53276717)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      my yard needs rain. The grass crunches when I walk across the yard.

      Maybe you should run down to Wal-mart and buy yourself a garden hose and a sprinkler.

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by Anonymous Coward

        I don't think the ex-wife would like that very much. But I could be wrong.

  • will love this and spin it as much as possible into the "right" direction.

  • So here we are with radical weather changes and a president elect that appoints a climate change denier to lead the EPA. They just can't live in the real world but they are killing off innocent people who do have normal minds and beliefs. For Halloween do not have a pumpkin. Make a TRUMPKIN. The orange face is just right and a bit of yellow straw or a blond wig will match his hideous hair. Use everything, everyday, that you possibly can to bring down Donald Trump. Try not to break any laws bu

  • The *BEST* News (Score:3)

    by Provocateur ( 133110 ) <shedied AT gmail DOT com> on Monday November 14, 2016 @12:03AM (#53278943) Homepage

    Thanks to the drought, there have been *no* sharknadoes either!

  • We had one for near a decade which has mostly subsided the last few years, sadly

    As an asthmatic and hayfever sufferer, the difference is night and day. I honestly thought I'd 'grown out' of my asthma and hayfever as I basically didn't have symptoms for near a decade, or exceedingly rare / lite symptoms.

    Last 2 years and especially this year, just a disaster, not fun at all.

  • Firenados are up 9000% in the Southeast.

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