The jet stream took a sharp turn, and the US got unprecedented tornado weather in December – here's what happened

Powerful winds hit a large part of the US, fueling tornadoes in Iowa, fires in Kansas and hurricane-force gusts in Colorado. An atmospheric scientist who was in the storms explains what happened.

William Gallus, Professor of Atmospheric Science, Iowa State University • conversation
Dec. 16, 2021 • ~6 min

Tornadoes and climate change: What a warming world means for deadly twisters and the type of storms that spawn them

Climate models can’t see tornadoes yet, but they can recognize the conditions for tornadoes to form. An atmospheric scientist explains what that means for forecasting future risks.

John Allen, Assistant Professor of Meteorology, Central Michigan University • conversation
Dec. 13, 2021 • ~8 min

Why the southern US is prone to December tornadoes

Tornadoes in December aren’t unusual in the Gulf Coast and lower Mississippi Valley states, but the Dec. 10-11 outbreak was extreme and far-reaching.

Kelsey Ellis, Associate Professor of Geography, University of Tennessee • conversation
Dec. 12, 2021 • ~8 min

Hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, floods – whatever your local risk, here's how to be more weather-ready

Federal weather scientists are pushing to make the US more 'weather-ready,' which could mean prepping for fires, flooding or storms depending on where you live. The common factor: thinking ahead.

Erik Salna, Associate Director of Education and Outreach, Extreme Events Institute, Florida International University • conversation
June 3, 2021 • ~9 min

Losing cultural context in emergency communication can be a matter of life and death

Misunderstanding disaster warnings can have catastrophic consequences. New research shows how easily modern emergency communications can get lost in translation.

Jason von Meding, Associate Professor, Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience, University of Florida • conversation
March 18, 2021 • ~7 min

Wild weather: 4 essential reads about tornadoes and thunderstorms

With the onset of spring come thunderstorms, and sometimes tornadoes. Learn how these systems form and why night tornadoes are especially deadly.

Jennifer Weeks, Senior Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation • conversation
March 17, 2021 • ~7 min

Extreme wildfires can create their own dangerous weather, including fire tornadoes – here's how

Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.

Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min

Western wildfires are spinning off tornadoes – here’s how fires create their own freakish weather

Persistent heat waves and dry lightning are part of the problem. For firefighters, the erratic behavior gets dangerous quickly.

Leila Carvalho, Professor of Meteorology and Climatology, University of California, Santa Barbara • conversation
Aug. 25, 2020 • ~6 min

What is a derecho? An atmospheric scientist explains these rare but dangerous storm systems

Hurricane and tornado winds spin in circles, but there's another, equally dangerous storm type where winds barrel straight ahead. They're called derechos, and are most common in summer.

Russ Schumacher, Associate Professor of Atmospheric Science and Colorado State Climatologist, Colorado State University • conversation
June 15, 2020 • ~9 min

​Tornadoes that strike at night are more deadly and require more effective warning systems

In the Southeast US, tornadoes strike at night more often than in other regions. This poses special challenges for getting early warnings to the public.

Alisa Hass, Assistant Professor of Geoscience, Middle Tennessee State University • conversation
March 5, 2020 • ~8 min

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