Tuesday, July 03, 2012

The deadliest year for tornadoes in the USA was 2011. (click title to entry - thank you)

...For this map shows the course of every single tornado that has hit the U.S. over the last six decades,...


The tone of the article is to warn those afraid of tornadoes to move their lives to the western part of the nation. There are many aspects to consider including flooding and other natural disasters occurring in the western part of the country. This map is helpful but I wish it were more interactive to allow viewing of the dynamic on a year by year analysis. I still find it very helpful.


The graphs in the left lower corner shows statistics, but, not annual analysis. They are good graphs and helpful. 


Noted in eastern part of the map are dark areas where tornadoes are less dense. Those are the mountains.  


Florida is really interesting. The state illustrates tornado activity except for the Everglades where higher water vapor exists. The water vapor dissipates the heat the fuels the tornadoes. If one will note, in the Tornado Map above, there is a straight line across the entire center of the State of Florida. The straight line goes from the Space Coast to the Gulf Coast. 


Climate folks already know where this discussion is going. I mentioned the other day, it is up to the cities to protect their citizens from the extreme heat we are seeing these days and mentioned the idea of plant gardens dominating the sides of buildings and large open fountains and waterfalls adding water vapor to the atmosphere in the cities. I called the cities Heat Islands. 


Central Florida has a large populous with roads connecting them. It is very commercial. I know because I have traveled that area when my children were younger. We went to the Space Coast, Orlando and then to a lazy little town on the Gulf Coast called Cedar Keys. So, there is a lot of concrete and asphalt in Central Florida.


There is a road running from east to west in Central Florida, it is Route 50. I prefer that road rather than the interstates. Route 50 can be noted in this map. To note also are the other major highways in and out of this area. 


The point to all this is clear. The map at the top of this entry is about the density of tornado occurrence in the past sixty years. Easily discerned in the eastern area of the USA there are 'cool spots' for that activity. It is easy to discern there are 'hot spots' for tornado activity on the same map. In Florida there is both. The most intense tornado activity in Florida clearly is in a place were 'heat islands' occur and their connecting infrastructure. The "Florida Dynamic" clearly shows why nature has to be appreciated over and above the infrastructure humans design as ways of 'living, working and getting around.' It is easiest to think about as a 'concrete footprint' and its result in providing high turbulence in the air temperatures CREATING dangers. 


The Central Florida Corridor proves human development of land is done very poorly and without reverence to the fact human beings are biological in need of a benevolent environment surrounding them. This reality is a every real aspect of the Climate Crisis which dictates the certainty of the fact Anthropogenic Global Warming is real and contributes in large measure to the Climate Crisis.