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The tornado, caused by the meeting of hot air and cold air, is still a rare phenomenon in Europe. But will this extreme phenomenon multiply in the future with global warming?
It’s a chilling sight now seen more than six months a year throughout the central United States. Tornadoes of sometimes exceptional power like the one which took place on Saturday May 21 in Michigan and which left behind only torn roofs and overturned cars. Could these usual scenes in North America also become so in Europe, starting in the spring? It was unthinkable before, but the tornadoes in the Czech Republic last year and in Germany this week changed that.
For storm clouds to generate tornadoes, a mass of warm air on the ground must meet much colder air aloft, driven by swirling winds. Will these phenomena become more numerous and more violent with climate change? The question is still debated among climatologists. “In theory, we should have more violent oranges, more violent convective conditions and therefore more favorable situations for tornadoes. This is the theory not yet observed”explains Robert Vautard, climatologist and member of the IPCC.
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