But even the alarmist NOAA demurs.
The Washington Post reports:
… No one knows whether this year’s storm season will match last year’s mayhem. Researchers dream of being able to make a reliable seasonable forecast rather than one that looks out only a few days or a week ahead.
The connection between climate change and tornado formation and intensity is a subject of ongoing research. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and can lead to greater deluges, but meteorologists have not established a causal connection between climate change and twisters. “We don’t particularly have strong expectations for changes in tornado occurrence with climate change,” Harold Brooks, research meteorologist with NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, said Saturday.
What’s certain is that the 2012 tornado season is off to an early, and roaring, start. Tornadoes earlier in the week touched down in Missouri and Illinois. Although an accounting of the number of tornadoes Friday is incomplete — as of Saturday afternoon, the official tally stood at 51 — the outbreak will likely rank as one of the biggest on record for the month of March.
Tornado frequencies increase with a cooling climate…. more proof that our period of global warming has come to an end.