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THE tornado that carved its way through south-western Missouri on Sunday left a 10-kilometre trail of death and destruction in its wake. The city of Joplin bore the brunt, and at least 89 people died.
The death toll is the highest from a single tornado in the US since two huge twisters struck in 1953. One ripped through Flint, Michigan, on 8 June to claim 116 lives. The next day a second killed 90 people in Worcester, Massachusetts, (NOAA).
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This year is already proving one of the worst ever recorded for the US when it comes to tornadoes. Last month set a new record with 875 tornadoes, when the average number for April during the past decade is 161.
A link between climate change and the number and intensity of tornadoes has been hard to establish. A published this month by NOAA did not reveal any change in the climate factors relevant to the most destructive tornadoes.