Swarm of 44 Tornadoes Rips Through Southern US, 4 Killed

Above: Skies over the Windward subdivision as most homes lost power following a tornado on Dec. 28, 2024, in Katy, Texas. Image copyright: Elizabeth Conley/Contributor/Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images

The Facts

  • A severe storm system spawned at least 44 tornadoes across seven southern states over the weekend, resulting in four confirmed deaths in Texas, Mississippi, and North Carolina.

  • The National Weather Service confirmed potential EF3 tornadoes in Texas — one in Porter Heights with winds of at least 136 mph, while another powerful twister struck along Highway 124 in Chambers County. The EF scale ranges from 0 to 5, with 5 being the strongest.


The Spin

Narrative A

These tornadoes should highlight climate change's effects on wind-based extreme weather. The warming atmosphere has led to more unstable low-level air, which can cause more thunderstorms and more powerful twisters. We shouldn't blame every tornado on climate change, but we should acknowledge its role.

Narrative B

It's difficult to link tornadoes to climate change due to a lack of evidence and limited tornado data reaching back just three decades. Therefore, scientists can't say whether there has been a significant change in tornado patterns. At least on the tornado issue, more research is needed without jumping to the climate change connection.

Narrative C

Tornadoes are unavoidable natural disasters whose damage can only be stymied through reinforced infrastructure in tornado-prone areas and early tornado detection. Policies to boost disaster preparedness are crucial to limiting damage once calamity strikes.


Metaculus Prediction