Tornado

For Want of a nail . . .

Those words started a little rhyme that children recited.  The rhyme taught that ignoring small deficiencies could have large consequences.    The damage caused by the Angus Tornado is a somber lesson for grown-ups that in any age of climate change, skimping on best construction standards can be disastrous. Representatives of The Institute for Catastrophic Losses examined the … Read more

Extreme Weather Events – Clear Link to Climate Change

4RG is fortunate to have David Suzuki as an honourary member of the steering committee.  There are few other environmentalists who can explain the issues related to climate change with such clarity. David has traced out the relationship between extreme weather events and global warming in this short video.  Take the time to follow the link. … Read more

Small numbers this hurricane season!

There were no hurricanes this summer until Hurricane Humberto was classed as such  on September 11th.  Scientists are still debating why, in a period of global warming, there are fewer hurricanes (cyclones) spawned by the warm Caribbean waters. This lack of cyclone activity will be the subject of comment in the next IPCC Report, scheduled for the … Read more

The biggest ever?

In 2012 we tried not to be alarmist about the circumstance that tornadoes and hurricanes are deadlier and more frequent that in previous years.  We acknowledged that there was a lot that meteorologists did not know about the formation of these extreme weather events.  After reading scientific information about the formation of tornadoes, we concluded that climate change was a contributing factor to their formation and destructive power.

We wrote three blogs on the subject that you might like to review before reading our comments on the 2013 tornadoes, written after review of more recent scientific commentary on this outbreak.

Spring in January?
March 12, 2012 on Twister Alley
Tornadoes and Climate Change

Read moreThe biggest ever?

Low Water Levels again!

This summer we gave an account of our personal experience with low water levels in the Great Lakes.  To no one’s suprise, the Great Lakes are not the only waterway in North America seriously impacted by low water levels.  The Mississippi river, a major industrial artery, is between 15 to 20 feet lower than normal.  That … Read more

March 2, 2012 on Twister Alley

The Governor of Indiana declared that Mother Nature was responsibile for the Black Friday March 2 tornado disasters that devastated small towns in that State.  A meteorologist said it was plain “bad luck.”  Another called it “natural variability”. Why is there such reluctance to make an association between extreme weather events and climate change?    Perhaps … Read more

Spring in January?

Last May Forourgrandchildren commented on the tragedy of Joplin, Missouri, a town that was wiped out – flattened! – by a severe tornado.   The videos of the residents surveying the destruction were heart-wrenching: the speakers were in shock as they recognized they had lost everything! Nobody wishes to exploit a tragedy this severe. But we … Read more