TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2019//
TI  - North American April tornado occurrences linked to global sea surface temperature anomalies
JO  - Science advances
A1  - Chu, J-e
A1  - Timmermann, A.
A1  - Lee, J-y
SP  - eaaw9950
EP  - eaaw9950
VL  - 5
IS  - 8
N2  - Annual tornado occurrences over North America display large interannual variability and a statistical linkage to sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. However, the underlying physical mechanisms for this connection and its modulation in a rapidly varying seasonal environment still remain elusive. Using tornado data over the United States from 1954 to 2016 in combination with SST-forced atmospheric general circulation models, we show a robust dynamical linkage between global SST conditions in April, the emergence of the Pacific-North American teleconnection pattern (PNA), and the year-to-year tornado activity in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) region of the United States. Contrasting previous studies, we find that only in April SST-driven atmospheric circulation anomalies can effectively control the northward moisture-laden flow from the Gulf of Mexico, boosting low-level moisture flux convergence over the SGP. These strong large-scale connections are absent in other months because of the strong seasonality of the PNA and background moisture conditions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 2375-2548
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaw9950
ID  - ref1
ER  -