"WASHINGTON — The calendar said December but the warm moist air screamed of springtime. Add an eastbound storm front guided by a La Nina weather pattern into that mismatch and it spawned tornadoes that killed dozens over five U.S. states.

Tornadoes in December are unusual, but not unheard of. B ut the ferocity and path length of Friday night’s tornadoes likely put them in a category of their own, meteorologists say. One of the twisters — if it is confirmed to have been just one — likely broke a nearly 100-year-old record for how long a tornado stayed on the ground in a path of destruction, experts said.

“One word: remarkable; unbelievable would be another,” s aid Northern Illinois University meteorology professor Victor Gensini. “It was really a late spring type of setup in in the middle of December.”

Warm weather was a crucial ingredient in this tornado outbreak, but whether climate change is a factor is not quite as clear, meteorologists say."

Suman Naishadham and Seth Borenstein report for the Associated Press December 11, 2021. [2]

SEE ALSO:

"A Warming World Could Add More Fuel To Tornadoes, Scientists Say" (Washington Post) [3]

"How The Climate Crisis Is Affecting Tornadoes" (CNN) [4]

"Biden Calls on EPA to Investigate Role Of Climate Crisis In Deadly Tornadoes" (Guardian) [5]

"Catastrophic December Tornadoes Slam Mid-Mississippi Valley" (Yale Climate Connections) [6]

"FEMA Official Warns Bigger Tornadoes the 'New Normal,' Linked to Climate Change" (Newsweek) [7]

"What Is the Link Between Climate Change and the Historic Tornadoes?" (New York) [8]