LUBBOCK,TX-- A study published by a British Science journal claims that there is a measured decrease in tornadoes during an El Niño. They say that La Niña seasons are the opposite.
The study, published by British Journal Nature Geoscience, says that the different tropical climate patterns have a measurable effect on areas like Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma and other parts of the Southern US.
Ron Robert, KAMC's Chief Meteorologist, sat down with a reporter from EverythingLubbock.com to help sort through the study.
"Well the El Niño is just warmer than average waters in the pacific ocean." He said. "Generally speaking, that makes the air more buoyant, more
moist and that tends to create a better chance for precipitation for our region."
Roberts said he could agree with the fact that an El Niño would create a situation that wasn't ideal for tornadoes, but didn't feel comfortable saying it might change the season.
"This is such a weak El Niño," he said, "I would not feel comfortable saying, 'No we're not going to have a severe weather season.' I would say we likely will have some severe weather episodes probably dominated by hail events and wind events."
Roberts also told our reporter that whether this study is accurate or not, it is important people stay ready for any sort of tornado eventuality.
"We have not had a major tornadic outbreak in recent years and that makes me uncomfortable." He said. "It means at some point we are, and are we going to be prepared when it hits?"