Last year, we experienced a **series** of apocalyptic supercell thunderstorms unlike anything in recent memory. While thunderstorms have always been a part of our climate, this level of intensity and damage feels new.
I know that in America, supercells are known as “tornado factories”. Does this mean Europe is becoming more susceptible to tornadoes as well?
I’m aware that tornadoes have occurred in Europe before, but they have been rare and generally less intense. The last F5 tornado was back in 1967 in France. In the US, F5 tornadoes are a much more frequent occurrence.
Is climate change changing the rules of the game for Europe? Should we expect another series supercell thunderstorms this year too, or maybe more frequent and powerful tornadoes in the future?
*Note: I’m not hoping for tornadoes, I’m simply wondering if this is a realistic threat. Last year’s supercells were devastating for agriculture, so I’m wondering if this is something we should be realistically preparing for, not from a conspiracy theory standpoint, but out of genuine concern.*
In: Planetary Science
Here’s what they looked like:
* [photos](https://www.reddit.com/r/stormchasing/comments/17zz97b/historic_supercell_in_europe2023_13th_july/)
* (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uh0Ngfd-oEo)*,*
* (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/R8y5lhI6Fb4)*,*
* (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/J-c-Rv8qwks)
Yes. Global warming means more energy in the atmosphere; more evaporation, more intense winds, more intense weather systems. And most of all, very unpredictable since we have never experienced such levels of CO2 in the atmosphere since human history began.
Basically, yes.
More heat = more energy for stronger storms, and with those can come tornadoes.
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