HOUSTON – Hello and welcome back to the Extreme Weather Blog! This is a very special week, we have Earth Day on Saturday. I like to celebrate Earth Week, and I think it’s very relevant to the blog. As Frank blogged about Earth Day earlier this week, the globe has our second warmest March on record last month. Global temperatures were over a degree warmer than normal, which makes a huge impact on our climate. Flood events are more likely in a warmer climate - for every one degree Fahrenheit, our atmosphere can hold an additional 4% water vapor. A harrowing reminder of why we Happy Earth Week!

Tornadoes strike Oklahoma:

Severe weather season in Oklahoma lasts from late March through May, and this week, we saw a violent tornado hit the town of Cole in central Oklahoma. Across the state Wednesday, at least nine tornadoes touched down, and sadly three lives have been lost. Take a look at this video shot in Norman Oklahoma, you can see the clear lowering of the clouds and the rotation as tornadogenesis was underway.

Preliminary surveys from the National Weather Service Norman rates the tornado in Cole as an EF-3. There were also at least two other EF-2s and an EF-1. This will continue to be updates as the survey teams look at the damage.

Something Good:

I thought the California “Superbloom” would be the perfect story for Earth Week. Superblooms do not happen every year, but when they do, it’s a spectacular sight that attracts thousands of visitors. This phenomena occurs in desert regions after they switch from years of drought to a rainy season. Annual wildflowers seeds stay dormant during dry conditions and drought, but the wet weather allows the seeds to germinate and bloom flowers! Enjoy!

Stay safe always,

Caroline