The tornadoes of spring 2011 in the USA: an historical perspective

Tornado activity during spring of 2011 in the USA was of historic proportions; a series of major outbreaks of tornadoes in April and May produced hundreds of fatalities and thousands of millions of $US in damage. These events are considered in terms of the history of tornadoes in the USA and are seen to approach the worst ever recorded. With all the current concern for the effects of global climate change, this raises a number of questions about...