At least four have died, including a four-month-old baby, and 100 were injured after dozens of tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma on Saturday, according to state authorities.
Gov. Kevin Stitt declared an emergency in 12 counties Sunday morning, including Oklahoma County, which holds Oklahoma City. About 80 miles south of the city, in a town called Sulphur, at least two tornadoes were reported.
While tornadoes aren't at the top of the list of climate-related storms to worry about, people should still be aware of the effects climate change has on wind-based extreme weather. The warming atmosphere has led to a more unstable low-level air, which can cause more thunderstorms and thus more powerful tornadoes. We shouldn't blame every tornado on climate change, but we should acknowledge the role it has played in the increased number of severe storms.
The problem with linking tornadoes to climate change is that tornado data has only been officially recorded for three decades. This, therefore, is why scientists can't say whether there has been a significant change in tornado patterns over a long period of time. Since the nineties, however, the data that do exist show a decrease in daily tornadoes but an increase in multiple tornadoes in a single day. All in all, more research must be conducted to draw any conclusions.