For the scientific community, the current weather extremes — from hail to tornadoes — come as no surprise.

Tornadoes will become more intense in Austria too, and hailstorms will become even more frequent and severe — that's what climate researcher Helga Kromp-Kolb from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences predicted at a press conference with Upper Austrian Environment Minister Stefan Kaineder (Greens) on Friday. The expert warned: "This won't progress linearly, but exponentially." It is therefore time, she said, when it comes to climate protection, to "finally get moving".

"When the Earth's atmosphere warms up, more energy is generated," Kromp-Kolb explained, describing the mechanism underlying the increasing frequency of severe weather events. Warmer air can also hold more water vapour. "When that's released — more energy and more water —", the result is heavier rainfall, severe weather and hail, and potentially even tornadoes.

When there's a tornado, it'll be a fierce one...

Read the full article at: kurier.at