Thursday, April 28, 2011

deadly mix of meteorological conditions combine to create a staggering 161 tornadoes in one night

deadly mix of meteorological conditions combine to create a staggering 161 tornadoes in one night : With hundreds of tornadoes ravaging the south coast, a death toll at 202 and still rising with reports that more are on the way, millions of people across the nation are asking themselves why?

Meteorological and environmental experts are offering explanations to the thousands of people who have lost their homes, lives or loved ones.

It is strongly believed that it is a rare mix of factors that have contributed to the severe weather and unusual number of tornadoes which are ripping through parts of America - more than 160 reported by Wednesday night and still rising.

CNN meteorologist Sean Morris said: 'This could be one of the most devastating tornado outbreaks in the nation's history by the time it's over and several meteorological conditions have combined to create a particularly dangerous mix.'

He said that a storm system that brought severe weather to parts of the South Plains earlier this week was heading east, a cold front was moving across the Deep South and upper levels of the atmosphere were conducive for severe storms.

'It is tornado season, but an intensive event like this only will occur maybe once or twice a year,' he said. 'It's very rare to have all these ingredients come together.

The last time such a freak outbreak of tornadoes devastated America was in April 1974, when 148 twisters touched down in 13 states over a 16-hour period, according to the National Weather Service.

During this time, 330 people died and 5,484 were injured in a path of damage that covered more than 2,500 miles.

The total number of tornadoes to hit that month alone was 267, though the actual number is said to have been much more, close to 500.

Though the recent storms have yet to reach the magnitude of 1974, officials say it could be days before they know the real number.

Greg Carbin with the National weather Service Storm Prediction Centre in Norman, Oklahoma, told CNN: 'The storms are just amazingly explosive and they're covering a very large area. We may finish out April with more than 300 tornadoes.

'It looks like it will be a record-breaker as far as sheer numbers go. The numbers for April are definitely on a record pace.'

Howard Bluestein, a meteorology professor at the University of Oklahoma who specializes in tornado research said: 'It’s unusual but it does happen. This isn’t a sign that the world is about to end.'

Other experts say that it is difficult to draw conclusions as to the reason for the increase in tornado activity because historical statistics are unreliable due to changes in the way storms are tracked and measured.

According to the New York Times, although the average number of April tornadoes steadily increased from 74 a year in the 1950s to 163 a year in the 2000s, nearly all of the increase is of the least powerful tornadoes that may touch down briefly without causing much damage.

That suggests better reporting is largely responsible for the increase.

There are, on average, 1,300 tornadoes each year in the United States, which have caused an average of 65 deaths annually in recent years.

Mr Carbin said: 'Today we seem to know about every single tree branch knocked down. We have eyes everywhere, and we have radar and satellite. It would be very difficult for a tornado to sneak through unnoticed.'

Some scientists believe that climate change will contribute to increasingly severe weather phenomena, including hurricanes and thunderstorms, but there is little consensus about how it may affect tornadoes.

It remains unclear, partly because of the lack of historical data and partly because of their unpredictable nature, whether they will increase in number or strength or geographic range.

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