[American Thinker] Speaking in Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday, President Joe Biden blamed the recent deadly tornado outbreak in Kentucky on "climate change." Biden stated, "The fact is we all know everything is more intense when the climate is warming and obviously it has some impact here." Biden’s statement is laughably inept and easily disproved. All one has to do is look past the opinions, pronouncements, and hand waving and concentrate on what science and data actually say about the issues.
First, the top five deadliest tornadoes in America all occurred between 1840 and 1936. The Great Natchez Tornado on May 7, 1840, killed 317 people, and was the second-deadliest tornado in U.S. history. The deadliest was the March 18, 1925 Tri-State Tornado, which was also the longest-tracked tornado in U.S. history. The massive F5 tornado traveled 219 mi (352 km) across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana, killing 695 people.
Second, the last half of the 65-year U.S. tornado record had 40 percent fewer strong-to-violent tornadoes (EF3 rated or greater) than the first half. To claim that climate change is causing severe tornadoes is speculation, and directly opposite data publicly available from the National Weather Service (NWS).
Dr. Roy Spencer, a climatologist at the University of Alabama, Huntsville points out, "To claim that global warming is causing more tornadoes is worse than speculative; it is directly opposite to the clear observational evidence."
A graph of 50 years of tornado data from the NWS Storm Prediction Center (NWSPC) clearly illustrates the downward trend in violent U.S. tornadoes rated EF3 or greater since 1970.