While the search for survivors of the nightmarish Joplin, Mo., tornado is still far from over, AccuWeather.com meteorologists are forecasting that another round of deadly storms is about to occur today.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the death toll had already raised to 118, ranking the event among the top 10 deadliest U.S. tornadoes of all time. So why has the weather been so active?
According to AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity, one of the theories is the strong La Nina that occurred. La Nina is the colder-than-normal waters in the southern Pacific. That area of colder water has caused a shift in the jet stream that has resulted in a wild and extreme weather pattern across the United States since the winter; however, recent trends have shown the La Nina has weakened, but the residual effects on the jet stream are still causing extreme weather in the form of tornadoes. It will take another month or so for the weather pattern to finally shift to one that is not as extreme.
To read the full, original article click on this link: 10 Facts You Want to Know about Tornadoes: Scientific American
Author:Bo Zhang
