Early flurry of killer tornadoes linked to cold winter
What's happening -- Climate change was not blamed
: "he tornadoes that tore across the south-eastern US on Thursday, killing at least 19 people, were devastating but not unprecedented, say tornado experts. However, the twisters did strike unusually early in the year.
The tornado season in the US normally reaches its peak between mid-April and June. The tornadoes tend to get stronger as the year progresses because warming temperatures increase the amount of energy in the atmosphere.
'Early March is a bit early for a severe tornado,' says Nigel Bolton, national forecaster at the UK Met Office and member of the UK-based Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO). But he notes that such events have happened before this early in the year, when the key atmospheric circumstances combine.
In this case, the extremely cold US was probably a contributing factor. Tornadoes in the US form when a front of dry, cold air descending from the north meets warm, moist air coming up from the south. Sometimes, a body of the cold air slides over the top of the warm air, trapping it underneath.
This creates unstable atmospheric conditions, and if there is enough energy in the system, the warm air will punch through the denser cold air above, triggering thunderstorms. The next step required is for the"
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