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Post by Admin on Dec 12, 2021 19:49:49 GMT
Tornado Death Toll May Top 100 After Devastating Outbreak Across Six States 197,978 views • Dec 13, 2021 • The death toll continues to rise from an unprecedented outbreak of tornadoes that tore through parts of the Midwest and South late Friday and early Saturday, with as many as 100 people feared dead — most in Kentucky, where at least 80 deaths have been reported.
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Post by Admin on Dec 12, 2021 21:47:35 GMT
Live: Kentucky Gov. Beshear Briefs On Deadly Tornado Aftermath | NBC News
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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2021 2:05:20 GMT
'Our Town Is Gone': Kentucky Residents Experience Huge Loss After Tornado Kills Dozens, Wreaks Havoc 299,791 views • Dec 13, 2021 • Residents and first responders respond to the devastating damage visited upon Mayfield, Kentucky, following a deadly tornado. BEFORE (left): Overview of Downtown Mayfield, Ky. on Jan. 28 2017. AFTER (right): Overview of damage in downtown Mayfield, Ky. on Dec. 11, 2021. BEFORE (left): Overview of Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory and nearby buildings before the tornado on Jan. 28, 2017. AFTER (right) Overview of the damage to the Mayfield Consumer Products Candle Factory and nearby buildings after the tornado on Dec. 11, 2021. BEFORE (left): Homes and buildings before the tornado in Mayfield, Ky. on Jan. 28, 2017. AFTER (right): this image shows the damage to homes and buildings after the tornado in Mayfield, Ky. on Dec. 11, 2021. Satellite image ©2021 Maxar Technologies.
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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2021 19:20:44 GMT
Dozens of tornadoes — including one massive storm that tore through more than 200 miles — struck Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Mississippi on Friday and Saturday, killing at least 14 people in four states and dozens more in Kentucky alone. People following the devastating news out of the region may be wondering: (How) was the storm related to climate change? Scientists know that warm weather is a key ingredient in tornadoes and that climate change is altering the environment in which these kinds of storms form. But they can't directly connect those dots, as the research into the link between climate and tornadoes still lags behind that of other extreme weather events such as hurricanes and wildfire. That's at least in part due to a lack of data — even though the U.S. leads the world in tornadoes, averaging about 1,200 a year. Less than 10% of severe thunderstorms produce tornadoes, which makes it tricky to draw firm conclusions about the processes leading up to them and how they might be influenced by climate change, Harold Brooks, a tornado scientist at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, told The Associated Press. Other factors that make that climate change attribution difficult include the quality of the observational record and the ability of models to simulate certain weather events. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that's the case with tornadoes. "The observational record is not consistent and relatively short, the models remain inconclusive as to replicating tornado activity, and our understanding of how global warming and climate change will influence the different atmospheric processes that produce tornadoes (wind shear, for example) is more limited," reads a page on its website. While scientists may not be able to conclusively connect tornado frequency or intensity to human-caused climate change, they say there are signs pointing in that direction. What kind of conditions caused this weekend's storm Meteorologists are pointing to two contributing factors: warm temperatures and strong winds. Thunderstorms happen when denser, drier cold air is pushed over warmer, humid air, as the AP explains, and an updraft is created when the warm air rises. Changes in the wind's speed and/or direction (known as "wind shear") can cause the updraft to spin, laying the groundwork for a tornado. There's not usually a lot of wind instability in the winter because the air is typically not that warm or humid — but that wasn't the case over the weekend.
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Post by Admin on Dec 13, 2021 21:13:47 GMT
WATCH LIVE: Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear gives further update on tornado damage
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