[QUOTE=Tuckerfan]
While there can be no doubt that meteorological technology improved dramatically in the time period between 1950 and 1987, I doubt that the improvements between 1987 and 2007 were equally as great. To me, it seems that the “fattest” decades should be the previous two, with a slight increase coming in the past ten years and thus you’d find 1/3rd of tornadoes in the past 20 years, and not the past 10.
[/QUOTE]
This might explain that … the NEXRAD radar system was deployed in the 1990s. See here, http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/weather/radar.html, with the salient part being this: “Based on the early work of the NSSL and JDOP, the national network of 150 WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar- 1988 Doppler) radars, or NEXRAD (short for NEXt generation RADar) were deployed in the early to mid-1990s. The NEXRAD project replaced the older WSR-57 radars and now provides comprehensive radar coverage of the United States.”
According to this site (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/newsletter/120103.htm) the Nashville NEXRAD was commissioned in 1995, so that could explain the “increase” in tornado activity – better detection methods were in place.
[QUOTE=brazil84]
Now that’s funny. For the record, I’m not a paid shill.
[/QUOTE]
So you’re just another internet conspiracy theorist with too much time on his hands.
[QUOTE=gonzomax]
Any attempt to clean the air and cut down emissions is a positive. It makes the world better. If it does not meet your threshold for danger too bad. But we are making a dirty planet with dirty air. We should do all we can to clean it up.
[/QUOTE] gonzomax, your concern for the planet is noted, and it is a good thing. However, you seem to be confusing CO2 with pollution. Every dollar spent on regulating CO2 is a dollar that is not spent on the important issue, which as you point out is working to “clean the air and cut down emissions”.
[QUOTE=Sauron]
This might explain that … the NEXRAD radar system was deployed in the 1990s. See here, http://celebrating200years.noaa.gov/transformations/weather/radar.html, with the salient part being this: “Based on the early work of the NSSL and JDOP, the national network of 150 WSR-88D (Weather Surveillance Radar- 1988 Doppler) radars, or NEXRAD (short for NEXt generation RADar) were deployed in the early to mid-1990s. The NEXRAD project replaced the older WSR-57 radars and now provides comprehensive radar coverage of the United States.”
According to this site (http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ohx/newsletter/120103.htm) the Nashville NEXRAD was commissioned in 1995, so that could explain the “increase” in tornado activity – better detection methods were in place.
[/QUOTE]
My understanding is that NEXRAD allows for earlier, more precise location information, and better understanding of what’s going on inside clouds than Doppler does. Not, for example, coverage of areas which were previously unviewed by Doppler, so it would allow them to call things like tornado alerts earlier than before (since they’d be able to see the tornado forming, whereas before you’d only be able to spot them after they’d formed).
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan]
My understanding is that NEXRAD allows for earlier, more precise location information, and better understanding of what’s going on inside clouds than Doppler does.
[/QUOTE]
Which would explain the dramatic increase in F0 and F1 tornadoes, some of which don’t even reach the ground. They’re being reported as tornadoes when in the past they might have been considered just “really bad thunderstorms.”