Alexandria, VA – Tornadoes are notoriously difficult to forecast, with often deadly results: In 2011, tornadoes in the U.S. killed more than 550 people, a higher death toll than in the past 10 years combined. Now a new study on short-term climate trends offers a fresh approach to tornado forecasting that may give people in tornado-prone regions more warning that twisters may soon be descending.
By sorting through average atmospheric conditions in tornado-prone regions, Michael Tippet, a climate scientist at Columbia University, may have found a way to predict tornado trends. This new method could potentially help emergency relief agencies as well as communities and individuals better prepare for the volatile storms, but just how close are we to perfecting this revolutionary model? Find out at http://www.earthmagazine.org/article/foretelling-next-months-tornadoes.
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The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of 50 geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.