Climate change may play a key role in the strength and frequency of tornadoes hitting the United States, a new study suggests.
Though tornadoes are forming fewer days per year, they are forming at a greater density and strength than ever before. For example, instead of one or two forming on a given day in an area, there might be three or four occurring, according to researchers from Florida State University.
"We may be less threatened by tornadoes on a da-to-day basis, but when they do come, they come like there's no tomorrow," researcher James Elsner, an expert in climate and weather trends, said in a statement.
In the past many researchers dismissed the impact of climate change on tornadoes because there was no distinct pattern in the number of tornado days per year. In 1971, there were 187 tornado days, but in 2013 there were only 79 days with tornadoes.
However, further analysis found more severity in the types of storms and that more were happening on a given day than in previous years.
"I think it's important for forecasters and the public to know this," Elsner said. "It's a matter of making sure the public is aware that if there is a higher risk of a storm, there may actually be multiple storms in a day."
The United States experiences more tornadoes than any other country, and despite advances in technology and warning systems, they still remain a hazard to residents in storm-prone areas. The 2011 tornado season, for example, had nearly 1,700 storms and killed more than 550 people.
According to the NOAA/National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, there have been 189 storms with a death toll of 43 so far in 2014.
According to Elsner, one bright spot of news in the research was that the geographic areas impacted most regularly by tornadoes do not appear to be growing.
The findings were recently published in the journal Climate Dynamics.
