NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams on Monday evening gave credibility to the extremist environmental theory that the Earth is reacting to mankind's mistreatment by spawning a rash of tornadoes. Williams reported how “this has been one of the most active, deadly tornado seasons in a long time” with more tornadoes so far this year than through August last year. He then forwarded to NBC Weather Plus meteorologist Bill Karins the kind of reasoning he hears during his daily routine:
I talked to three people, casual conversation today, all of them smart, saying “I don't know, we must be doing something to our Earth.”
Karins gently corrected him: “Well, there are correlations that can be made. Global warming not quite one of them. La Nina, more likely.”
The not so in depth “In Depth” segment on the Monday, May 12 NBC Nightly News:
BRIAN WILLIAMS: We're back with NBC News In Depth tonight. Tornado season, especially vicious this year. As we reported earlier in the broadcast, this has been one of the most active, deadly tornado seasons in a long time. So we asked Bill Karins, meteorologist with NBC Weather Plus, to join us tonight to explain why this might be happening now.You heard the stats in Al Roker [soundbite in earlier story]. They're already at August levels. I talked to three people, casual conversation today, all of them smart, saying “I don't know, we must be doing something to our Earth.” So once and for all, what's going on?
BILL KARINS: Well, there are correlations that can be made. Global warming not quite one of them. La Nina, more likely. I'll get to that in a second. Let's first talk about the numbers out there so far: 850 tornadoes. Let's just compare that to the last three years at this point in May. Well above 250 last year. If you look at 2005, we're about 600 above that. And. Of course, these are just the number of touchdowns. The important number the deaths, the deaths are also way up this year. We already had 96. In 2005 everyone was happy saying our Doppler radars and warning services were doing the job. Now the question is what are we doing wrong?
WILLIAMS: What do we do in the future? There's no way to predict these numbers trending up and down.
KARINS: All we can really try to do is find what the triggers are, try to give people the most warning possible. One of the new studies that came out was talking about the connection to the La Nina. Now that's actually cooler water in the Pacific. We just got done with that. What these storms do is they tend to produce larger tornadoes. This is kind of like a new theory and a new thinking that's come out. And what happens is we get big tornadoes, the ones that wipe the foundations clean. It doesn't matter if you're in your safe room or in you're tub. You have to all be in a storm shelter. You can't survive those. Those are the ones we've seen this year.
WILLIAMS: Absolutely monstrous. Bill, thank you for joining us, clearing this up. Something tells me we'll have you back on talking about the same thing.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
hey, who needs scientific
May 12, 2008 - 19:47 ET by mister josephhey, who needs scientific data, when i've got millions of viewers, an inflated sense of self, and the inability to accept the opinions of those i disagree with!
PROPAGANDA
May 13, 2008 - 02:13 ET by danybhoyJosef Goebbels was right on the money, ..."tell a lie long enough, & it becomes the truth"... That is what's in play with this story, & the "global warming" BS & it's causes & effects.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
Tornadoes are not a sign of Global Warming
May 13, 2008 - 07:40 ET by PopularTechThe MSM is so desperate to believe in the hysteria they will use any chance they can get to promote it by spinning facts and playing on people's emotions.
Tornadoes not a sign of global warming (Timothy (Tim) F. Ball, Ph.D. Historical Climatologist)
Global warming 'not to blame' for Tornadoes (The Daily Telegraph, UK)
Increasing tornadoes or better information gathering? (Anthony Watts, AMS Certified Meteorologist)
Tornadoes not Linked to Global Warming (Eugene Tackle, Ph.D. Professor of Atmospheric Science)
Senator Kerry Misinformed on Tennessee Storms (Science and Public Policy Institute)
Spinning the Tornado Story (Patrick J. Michaels, Ph.D. Ecological Climatology)
The 25 Deadliest Tornadoes in the United States (infoplease)
2005 - Tornado numbers far below normal in '05 (USAToday)
2005 - NOAA Reports No Tornado Fatalities Since March, A Record (Science Daily)
The Anti 'Man-Made' Global Warming Resource
Temporary spike in tornadoes
May 12, 2008 - 19:52 ET by nkviking75I mourn for the folks suffering the impact of these terrible storms, but in my part of Iowa it has been an unusually quiet season for severe weather. We could certainly use less rain for a couple of weeks so the corn and beans could get planted. Even so, we can't even work up a decent flash flood around here.
It's just a temporary spike in tornadoes. Apart from the impact it's having on people's lives, statistically, it don't mean nuthin'.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
Uh...??
May 12, 2008 - 19:56 ET by MightyMouthI talked to three people, casual conversation today, all of them smart,
saying “I don't know, we must be doing something to our Earth.”
I hate to say this but everytime man goes up "against the earth" hundreds of thousands die, and then... the sun comes out the next day! Who are we kidding? We can't even run far enough when the earth has "gas"!
"There are two types of people in this country; those who provide freedom and those who enjoy it." MM says...
Probably everyone has seen
May 12, 2008 - 20:11 ET by mandrakeProbably everyone has seen this clip already, but just in case..
It's a George Carlin routine on this subject that always cracks me up!
http://www.jibjab.com/view/122257
mandrake... I haven't
May 12, 2008 - 20:30 ET by bigtimermandrake...
I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!
That was great and no I haven't seen it...
Plastic and the Big Electron.....and all the other stuff....
Thank YOU! This made my evening!!! Carlin was great too...and correct.
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
man & bt Pop Tech has that link jammed into his posts from time
May 12, 2008 - 23:49 ET by upcountrywaterto time; watched it again lol.
The POPE says, GOD BLESS AMERICA!!
IranianUranium<sleep>New/Infrastructure/repair?/ROFLMAO
Hi upc... Well, I have
May 12, 2008 - 23:56 ET by bigtimerHi upc...
Well, I have missed it...I also am passing it on to plenty on my email list...it is hilarious!
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Tornadoes, Brent, the good news is that over the past 30 years
May 12, 2008 - 20:01 ET by Gary HallBrent. The good news is that over the past 30 years, as the US has been "heating up," from whatever it is that we are doing to it, a funny trend has developed with tornadoes. The chart is from NOAA. I suspect that Brian Williams had little interest in the obvious; as the climate warms up, tornadoes become less frequent and less intense.
Let's see - this has been the coldest winter and spring in how long?
Gary, you can put away your
May 12, 2008 - 20:25 ET by Chris NormanGary, you can put away your fancy statistics. Brian Williams knows three smart people...
Chris
May 12, 2008 - 20:32 ET by Gary HallDare tale - who might they be?
(;~> gary
Well, you'd think with the
May 12, 2008 - 20:36 ET by Chris NormanWell, you'd think with the number of people with which he probably comes into contact, he might have offered up more than three who are "smart". :)
He could use a smart..
May 12, 2008 - 20:40 ET by Gary HallHe could use a smart.. researcher. That little graph was not difficult to come by.
Ah, come on now, three
May 12, 2008 - 20:50 ET by Chris NormanAh, come on now, three unnamed "smart" people in "a casual conversation" trump methodical research any ol' day - at least, apparently, on NBC News with Brian Williams. I suppose also this is the kind of "research" he does on the economy...
Too much
May 12, 2008 - 22:55 ET by AzRenegadeToo much importance placed on intelligence?
Here's another one for your circle Brian. IQ of 167. Graduate of Harvard. Masters and Ph.D in mathematics from the University of Michigan.
Say hello to Theodore Kaczynski. Also known as the Unibomber.
Great intelligence does not equal great wisdom.
AzRenegade
Az... Beautiful! "Never
May 12, 2008 - 23:02 ET by bigtimerAz...
Beautiful!
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Thanks BT
May 12, 2008 - 23:17 ET by AzRenegadeI have my moments of inspiration!
AzRenegade
La Nina effect ... hispanic illegals in USA?
May 12, 2008 - 20:36 ET by BodiniYou got any graphs that might show the rise of hispanic illegals sneaking across the border results in rapid increase in weather related disasters in USA. La Nina sounds like a Hispanic plot to me and my fellow conspiracy theorists.
No Bodini, however....
May 12, 2008 - 20:46 ET by Gary HallNo Bodini, however... here's a little news item (that never got picked up by the news folks, naturally) which shows a rather dramatic increase in the cost of providing for the "flood" of illegal immigrants:
The weather is getting worse at the border.
I've seen those stats ... but
May 12, 2008 - 20:58 ET by BodiniI still think the bad weather is somehow tied to re-fried beans!
Brian Williams talking to "smart people" about the causes...
May 12, 2008 - 20:39 ET by ThalpyBrian Williams talking to "smart people" about the causes and severity of tornadoes makes about as much sense as trying to predict the flight path taken by fireflies in the summer. How is it that we must be doing something to cause all of this? There is a precedent for this, and we must begin planning immediately. In order to appease the gods...
Brian Williams talking to "smart people" about the causes...
May 12, 2008 - 20:39 ET by ThalpyBrian Williams talking to "smart people" about the causes and severity of tornadoes makes about as much sense as trying to predict the flight path taken by fireflies in the summer. How is it that we must be doing something to cause all of this? There is a precedent for this, and we must begin planning immediately. In order to appease the gods...
Get in the game
May 12, 2008 - 20:45 ET by the strugglerAre these people that stupid?Really.Is there nobody around these people with just COMMON SENSE?What is Williams,sixty years old?Has he not seen crazy weather all his life?That's the nature of weather you Ass Hat.C'mon.I've had it.Pass the duct tape.
Yipee, tornados are on the
May 12, 2008 - 20:47 ET by JerryYipee, tornados are on the decline! It was just yesterday, that we already had twice as many tornados as all of last year, and today, we have only had as many as the first 8 months of last year. By my account, that's a 200% reduction.
When asked if he went to war with Iraq to derail the impeachment vote: “I don’t think any serious person would believe that any President would do such a thing." - President Clinton (Dec 1998).
"There's no way to predict
May 12, 2008 - 20:54 ET by scamorama"There's no way to predict these numbers trending up and down."
Oh?
Compare tornado activity with La Ninas. Pretty good match.
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/CLASSIC_STRONG_LA_NINA_EFFECTS.pdf
I guess we have been
May 12, 2008 - 21:05 ET by USA4freedomI guess we have been mistreating the earth for a while..
1840May 7: Natchez, MS
A tornado ravaged the heart of the city, killing 317 and injuring over 1,000. The northern and central portions of the citywere destroyed. 269 people perished on riverboats on the Mississippi River.
1896 May 27: St. Louis, MO
A tornado moved into St. Louis and East St. Louis, killing 255 people andinjuring over 1,000. Damage estimates were around $10 million from this tornado. The tornado and accompanying micro burst winds spanned a mile wide.
1899 June 12: New Richmond, WI
A tornado struck around 4:30 pm while people were attending an outdoor circus.114 people were killed, but due to thehigh visibility of the tornado, most were able to take shelter. Over 300 buildings were destroyed in the town.
1908April 24: Purvis, MS
The majority of the town of Purvis, MS was leveled as a tornado moved from Amite,LA into Purvis. 55 people died as a result of this tornado in Purvis alone. People reported that the tornado was “2 miles wide” at times.
1925 March 18: Ellington, MO to Princeton, IN
The“Tri-State Tornado” is the most deadly single tornado in history. Murphysboro ,Illinois was the hardest hit by the tornado, where 234 lives were claimed. Several cities in the tornado’s path were obliterated, including:
Annapolis, MO; Gorham, IL; Parrish, IL; and Griffin, IN.
1936 April 6: Gainesville, GA
A pair of tornadoes converged inside the city on the morning of April 6th, 1936 .203 people were killed and most of the city’s buildings lay in ruins. Damage estimates from the tornado were around $12.5million.
1947 April 9: Woodward, OK
An F5 tornado moved through the northern portions of Woodward, OK. Over 100 city blocks were demolished from the tornado and over 1,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. 107 people were killed, 1,000 people were injured, and over $6 million in damage occurred.
1953 May 11: Waco, TX
114 people died when an F5 tornado moved through downtown Waco, TX. A six-storybrick furniture store was destroyed.The main street was filled with bricks from the building, in some in stances nearly five feet deep. Some peoplewere buried under brick for nearly 14 hours.
1953 June 8: Flint, MI
Over $19 million in damage occurred as an F5 tornado moved through the northern sections of Flint, MI. 115 people were killed and 844 were injured.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Romney / Jendil 2012 (if,we survive)
Who was president in the 1930's?
May 12, 2008 - 21:23 ET by w0tmThe 1930's was the worst decade in over 100 years for weather in our country. Right now, we're just "average". Uh, "Dust Bowl", "Grapes of Wrath" and all the other icons of the Left. You just can't have it both ways no matter how much you want it. Virtually all weather data since 2000 points to our earth entering a long-term cooling period. Just like "Global Warming" that I think started in October 1993 and ended a month later, you never know where a trend is going to lead. Unless, of course, you are blessed with super human vision into the future currently limited to Algore and a few others actual weather data since 2000 only shows GW using "new math" tof the Left that 2+2=5. Each of the last seven years have been colder than the previous year. The recent HUGE volcano explosion in Chile is estimated to subtract a full degree from the earth's temperature for the next five years.
A trend is a trend until it is not. Seems simple enought to me. Extend out the current trend line and it shows we're back into what the earth has experienced 90% of the time for millions and millions of years. An ice age. Where New York City has to rebuild up one mile to stay above the ice. Making everything moveable would be a good idea. Food presents a bit of a problem. Let Algore figure it out. Have faith. If you can't depend on the mass stupidity of crowds, what is left in life? The greater number of people involved in anything increases the chances of the outcome being completely wrong.
The earth's climate is by its very nature involves every living creature. Which guarantees armageddon is in our future. At least we have something in the future we can absolutely count on. Whew! I'm glad that's settled!
"Journalist" have been
May 12, 2008 - 21:38 ET by jdhawk"Journalist" have been reported those having accidents while drive SUVs as if the SUVs were causing the accident not the driver for years. So, why not the earth being "mad" at us humans.
Nevertheless, it appears that the earth is "mad" at us for somehow causing it to COOL of late!
Meanwhile, the Nobel "peace" Prize continues to look more and more ridiculous while the latest recipient, AlBore, grows rich by the millions selling Nobel burnished snake oil.
WTF IS THIS??
May 12, 2008 - 21:55 ET by allahallahoxenfreeIs that snarky moron Williams practicing some perverted Gaia voodoo? The earth is mad at us, what a jackass.
Meanwhile here is a real problem:
http://ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=295485696665472
CONGRESSIONAL TERM LIMITS!!!
Anyone else wonder?
May 12, 2008 - 22:25 ET by pbthinkerDid anyone else wonder if Brian Williams really wished he'd interviewed the 3 smart guys, at least they agreed with him? Do you also get the idea that the meteorologist want to take back their territory, which has been stolen from them by Al Gore and his thousands of "scientists"?
Democrats: Stuck on Stupid since 2000.
Theory of Relativity
May 13, 2008 - 06:50 ET by ledurchiIt is doubtful that Brian Williams has ever met anyone NOT smarter than he. Coupled with a social circle so constrained that he is only exposed to the kookiest of ideas. With the high opinion of his own intelligence, it is no wonder he might think the others are geniuses.
rolls eyes
May 12, 2008 - 22:37 ET by candancesmart people = code talk for three friends of mine who are generally intelligent but have no experience in meteorology.
Unless he's willing to reveal these three sources for inspection he shouldn't be bringing them up in a news cast.
Judging by his pasty white
May 12, 2008 - 22:58 ET by CJK51Judging by his pasty white eyes and carrot-like pallor, Bri-Bri must have run into them on his way to the tanning salon. No doubt these three smart people were towering intellects, not unlike Williams himself. What a joke!
By the way, am I the only one who thinks he sounds constipated when he speaks? That voice just sounds like it is the result of great discomfort.
CJK... LOL...No you are
May 12, 2008 - 23:08 ET by bigtimerCJK...
LOL...No you are not the only one...I have always said to my other half he needs Ex-Lax before doing his nightly news stories.
As an aside Sen. Lieberman has always seemed that way to me too...I've always called him Ex-Lax for short here at home...just code words couples have when talkin' kind of thing...hehehee
"Never murder your opponent when he is committing suicide." ~ W. Churchill
Wow, 3 people out of 300
May 12, 2008 - 23:33 ET by ckc1227Wow, 3 people out of 300 million. That's gotta be a consensus. I'm convinced.
Tornado alley
May 12, 2008 - 23:45 ET by AjtlawyerAny time there's bad weather, the wingnuts want to blame it on global warming. Katrina? Global warming. GW was going to cause a great increase in hurricanes and their severity, wasn't that what we were told? Then what has happened the last couple of years, hardly any severe hurricanes at all in the Western Hemisphere. Notice how the doomsdayers got off "hurricanes are caused by global warming." Now we have a spike in tornados and suddenly that's what is caused by global warming! And the newscaster said he talked to some "smart" people who wonder what's going on? Notice he didn't say he'd talked to atmospheric science experts. I'm pretty smart myself and I suppose I could take a stab at speculating about what causes more tornados but it would just be guessing. Although, since I grew up Wisconsin and spent many a summer night hiding in the cellar while tornados swept through the area (leveling part of Barneveld, Wisc. back in 1983 or 1984), I might know more about them than the East and West Coasters.
Gaia must be angry
May 13, 2008 - 00:05 ET by Matthew VadumClearly we mortals have angered mighty Gaia. We should immediately offer Al Gore as a sacrifice to turn her away her wrath.
—Matthew Vadum is Editor of Organization Trends and Foundation Watch, two monthly newsletters published by Capital Research Center
"That's right,
May 13, 2008 - 00:24 ET by BuxomAnnieMcGreggor"That's right, CindyLu....and if we treat the world kindly, like we would if she were June Cleaver... then the world will reward us with Skittle filled rainbows with grand kettles at each end... filled to the brim with gold, Cotton Candy clouds that float down from the sky, Gumdrops will sprout on every tree, and volcanoes will burst with the most wonderful chocolate!" This is kind of like a new theory and a new thinking that's come out.
Heilige Scheiße! How do you turn this damned thing off? -J. Robert Oppenheimer
Yeah as a meteorologist you
May 13, 2008 - 06:20 ET by taterI learned as a meteorologist one of the huge factors in tornado development (and I think most people know this) clashing of cold and warm air. I appluad the met who took down Williams lame deduction. Now if the earth is warming like these nutcases say it is...there would be less cold air available to cause tornados. Global warming would be a good thing if we don't want anymore EF-4s or EF-5s. Truth is the jet stream is in the same pattern as it was this winter and with the warming of the gulf instead of huge snowstorms we are getting severe weather.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
Forgive the Rant
May 13, 2008 - 06:42 ET by KillgraveSpeaking of tornados and global warming...
I don't get cable/satellite TV in my house, and periodically I'm reminded why. I was visiting my mother's and had the misfortune of being subjected to the "Lifetime" channel.
Anyway, we watched a made-for-TV movie about tornados. The protagonist was a stretched-skin, bugged eye harpy of the traditional feminist sort. She was a climatologist in the Midwest that specialized in tornados.
I knew I was in trouble, during the first act, in a scene where she was giving a presentation (I think at a college). As she was building her case about the "abnormally" sharp increases of tornado activity, I held my breath, WAITING FOR IT. Finally, she said "global warming", and I groaned very loudly. The money shot!!
Of course, it was completely downhill from there. One student meekly asked her if she was an "alarmist". I desperately clinged to the notion that this stupid movie would actually provide a counter viewpoint. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO! This was only to set up for another money shot.
"No, I'm not", she said, "Have you seen the icecaps lately?" That was it. End of scene.
I almost screamed.
Long story short, she moves from the Midwest to Washington State with her daughter (as usual, in these Lifetime offerings men are totally absent, or are crooks, or are meek little worms). Now here comes the whole plot of the movie...
THERE ARE TORNADOS IN SEATTLE BECAUSE OF GLOBAL WARMING!!
I'm not kidding. They built a whole disaster movie on this completely ludicrous premise. They scripted it, casted it, and shot it. Even though this was done on the cheap, it still required a tremendous amount of effort.
And as the last shreds of my sanity escaped me, I wondered... "Why??"
Then it occurred to me. This was simply a leftist fantasy. A fantasy where innocent people die horribly because of global warming that is unquestionably caused by man. The debate is over, see? PEOPLE WILL BE KILLED BY TORNADOS IN SEATTLE! WE MUST DO SOMETHING NOW, BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!!
Logic, objectivism, and good old fashioned skepticism mean nothing to these people. We are dealing with a domes day cult, folks. It's not simply a difference of opinion. These people are insane.
Thank God I don't get cable. There is no way in green hell now that I will let this insanity into my house.
Yeah here is the whole big
May 13, 2008 - 06:54 ET by taterYeah here is the whole big tornado history in the Seattle area.
www.komotv.com/weath...
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
Thanks for the link. The
May 13, 2008 - 07:32 ET by KillgraveThanks for the link. The scriptwriter chose Seattle because, in real life, it's the least likely to be hit by a tornado. But because of man's rape of the earth, there will be F-9 after F-9 ripping the Space Needle from the ground (in the near future).
These are the same people who say that the Statue of Liberty will be under water. They can't simply make their arguments within the boundaries of reason. They have to fabricate highly implausible (and sometimes impossible) scenarios in order to brainwash the ignorant and the young.
Yes, the debate is over. It’s over because you simply can’t argue with an insane person.
I can see why they chose
May 13, 2008 - 07:49 ET by taterI can see why they chose Seattle, it would be science fiction...even if the Earth warmed that doesn't change the fact that Seattle is next to an ocean with a cold current, near the Canadian border, on the rainy side of the mountains, and rarely if ever receives a layer of dry warm air from the desert. You would be more likely to win the lottery than to see a large destructive tornado in Seattle during your lifetime.
"They need to have a course in college called common sense and everyone should take it. Problem is there isn't too many people that could pass or teach it." -my grandfather
I live in Tornado alley,
May 13, 2008 - 08:21 ET by Dan The Man 2I live in Tornado alley, well at least part of it in Texas. I actually was stupid enough to watch one as it flew over my house from the airport about a mile away to a convienience store 2 miles away.
Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark.
These are the same type of people
May 13, 2008 - 08:23 ET by c5thenWho witnessed an eclipse and thought that the end of the world was neigh. Notice how unquestioningly they attribute intelligence and purpose to "the planet". Meanwhile Williams is apparently eager to drink any kool-aid regardless of flavor.
The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.
libs & huff-n-puff
May 13, 2008 - 09:05 ET by Sick-n-TiredLooks like the Huffpost'ers believe mother earth is angry as well as you will see in the link and the headlines of their homepage. Funny coming from a group of people who largely have no belief in a higher power.......................
"Controlling carbon is a bureaucrat's dream. If you control carbon, you control life," Richard Lindzen - March 2007.
I live in Virginia and
May 13, 2008 - 15:39 ET by SchnikeysI live in Virginia and there have been numerous tornado watches/warnings dropped around my area lately. But I doubt it has anything to do with half the crap these folks are spouting about.
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Grizzly Bear '08