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Displaying 15 of about 18 resultsOn 20 May 2013, at 2:56 p.m., a tornado touched down in central Oklahoma. Over the next 40 minutes, it ripped through the towns of Newcastle, Moore, and south Oklahoma City. The storm destroyed dozens of houses and cars, two farms, two elementary schools, a strip mall, and several other buildings as it killed 24 people and injured hundreds.
Climate cha…
By Keli Pirtle
After deadly tornadoes struck the Southeast in March, NOAA researchers for the first time successfully captured aerial photos and video of storm damage from hard-to-reach locations using remote-controlled, uncrewed aircraft.
The new imagery helped the community’s response and recovery efforts and enabled forecasters to more accurat…
By Greg Kopp
Many people think of a well-built house as one where the walls are strong enough to hold up the roof so it won’t fall on them. This is reinforced by children’s stories like the Three Little Pigs, where the house made of brick is the strongest when the Big Bad Wolf comes to town.
When a strong tornado passes through a neighbourhood, i…
Was climate change behind the recent tornadoes that killed dozens of people and wrought a trail of destruction through five American states?
Higher temperatures might create more favorable conditions for these violent storms, but for now, scientists remain cautious about drawing a direct connection.
While research has firmly linked recent extreme…
The deadly tornado outbreak that tore through communities from Arkansas to Illinois on the night of Dec. 10-11, 2021, was so unusual in its duration and strength, particularly for December, that a lot of people including the U.S. president are asking what role climate change might have played – and whether tornadoes will become more common in a warming…
In this experimental study the authors investigate how the inclusion and presentation of protective action guidance affects participant perceptions of a tornado warning message and their perceived ability to act upon the information (i.e., self- and response efficacy). The study finds that the inclusion of protective action guidance results an incr…
For many residents of Joplin, Missouri, May 22, 2011, started out like any other Sunday. People attended church services and ate at restaurants with friends and family. Thousands gathered for a high school graduation ceremony.
But as the atmosphere swirled above, catastrophe brewed.
Late in the afternoon, a tornado rated as the most intense on t…
Rising temperatures and risky development contribute to heightened exposure to earthquakes, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfire
More than half of the structures in the contiguous United States are exposed to potentially devastating natural hazards—such as floods, tornadoes and wildfires—according to a new study in the AGU journal Earth’s Futur…
By Hannah Hickey
The United States experiences more tornadoes than any other country, with a season that peaks in spring or summer depending on the region. Tornadoes are often deadly, especially in places where buildings can’t withstand high winds.
Accurate advanced warnings can save lives. A study from the University of Washington and the National Oc…
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The morning of the tornadoes, the US National Weather Service warned people across the region to be ready for severe storms and to ensure that multiple information channels were open to receive updates. Their language became increasingly urgent that afternoon followed by direct advice to be ready to shelter and then, when a tornado was sighted an…
On the night of Dec. 10-11, 2021, an outbreak of powerful tornadoes tore through parts of Arkansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Illinois, killing dozens of people and leaving wreckage over hundreds of miles. Hazard climatologists Alisa Hass and Kelsey Ellis explain the conditions that generated this event – including what may be the f…
This report discusses losses from natural hazards are escalating dramatically, with more properties and critical infrastructure affected each year. Although the magnitude, intensity and/or frequency of certain hazards has increased, development contributes to this unsustainable trend, as disasters emerge when natural disturbances meet vulnerable assets…
By Brian Hastings and Roy Wright
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Ten years ago today - on April 27, 2011 - Alabama suffered the largest and costliest tornado outbreak in state history. Of the 62 tornadoes that touched down in Alabama that day, eight were EF4s and three were EF5s, the most powerful possible rating. One EF4 traveled from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham, measuring…
Since January, conditions across the U.S. have been running warmer and wetter than normal. The nation also recorded its first billion-dollar weather and climate disaster of 2021 — the deadly deep freeze that enveloped much of the central U.S. in February — and two tornado outbreaks in late March.
The month of March turned out a bit warmer and drie…
A series of maps developed by NIST indicates the wind speeds from tornadoes that certain buildings should be designed to withstand, in miles per hour. The contours and wind speeds in the animation shift depending on the footprint (in square feet, or SF) of the building being designed. All wind speeds shown in the maps correspond to a 3,000-year re…