AmyFreeze's Blog

we've been getting dozens of emails about why the weather has been so wacky --- so stormy --- so severe--- so wild...   the answer isn't that glamorous --- there's no proof that climate change affects micro events like a thunderstorm... so we stick to the sciene and the current weather pattern to explain the forecast and make a prediction.  here's my report.

today's headline: the worst flooding for the Midwest in 15 years with 10 states underwater.... but not just wet. wild. with deadly tornadoes. and it's left many wondering, what's going on?

eight twisters south of chicago on saturday...

75 tornado reports across the midwest in the last 24 hours...

here in illinois we're already double the average and more than triple the number of tornadoes that our state had last year. an unusually active pattern for the entire country--- it's been the deadliest tornado season in a decade... with 118 deaths...

some are quick to dismiss increased tornado reports due to population increase...others suspect the record flooding to be the fury of climate change.

here's the science behind what's happening with our wild weather:

the wet spring is a carry over of the wet winter cause by la nina... which is finally weakening to neutral...

Click here to read about La Nina!

and right now the jet stream which steers the storms... has been guiding violent weather right into the Midwest.

Cool sea surface temperatures are about to turn the tide of our turbulent weather.

Twister will be less likely as a trough sets up over the west coast and a ridge takes over the midwest keeping storms away...

Late June, July and august will be warmer and drier --- August is expected to have above average heat and I predict more than five 90 degree or warmer days.

keep the weather statistics you hear in perspective... it's been unusal but not unpredented... the record number of tornadoes in one season for illinois is 124 -- and it wasn't that long ago in 2006.