Crazy Weather Causes Tornado in Buenos Aires
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 03. 3.08
(Picture: Francisca Steverlynck for La Nacion.) In the middle of a crazy-weather week with unstoppable rain and flooding in various areas of Buenos Aires, two waterspouts (tornado-like shapes over water) formed yesterday over the Rio de la Plata River, 200 meters from the coast. A very rare phenomenon for the area that left locals amazed and wondering.
Even though local press and specialists did not link the event to climate change, it happened after one of the hottest summers in history and it was the second rare incident related to Buenos Aires weather in less than a year. The previous was the first snowfall in almost 90 years, which took place last July (our coverage here).
Keep reading for more.
As this took the city by surprise, local specialists are still studying what caused the waterspouts and little information was given about the phenomenon. According to the national meteorologic center, Buenos Aires actual weather has to do with, “A low pressure system located in the north of Uruguay that keeps generating rain and some storms with constant wind from east and west at 25 to 50 Km/h.”
Climate specialist Osvaldo Canciani added in talk with C5N TV station that, “Waterspouts are formed from huge amounts of energy that destabilize the atmosphere and generate enormous clouds. They are produced when winds are prevalently from the Southwest.”
Yesterday’s generated 40 Km/h winds, and even though they were very near from boats they left no injured people or incidents. “If this had happened in the city, it would have provoked tremendous disasters,” Canciani stated.
Truth is that weather in Buenos Aires keeps breaking the news. After the mentioned snowfall last July, the ending summer was one of the hottest in history. Temperatures reached over 38ºC, which is around 100ºF; when average is 23ºC or 73ºF and very hot days are usually 32ºC or 89ºF.
Stories on the waterspouts (all in Spanish):
::La Nacion newspaper ::Clarin ::Infobae ::El Bolson web
Another sighting of the tornado-like shapes in Buenos Aires (picture: Eduardo Abrecht for La Nacion.)
The furious rain has caused flooding in Buenos Aires (picture: Marcelo Omar Gomez for La Nacion.)
If these people are not willing to recognize the reality of climate change, will they recognize the fact that something is "wrong" with the climate though? And maybe, after a little bit of research and common sense...
Technically, those were waterspouts. Not as powerful, but you really don't want to be in a boat out there! I remember seeing them in Lake Erie as a kid while in school when they came ashore, where they died quickly.
Weather is not climate.
Hey Bill, the title is to simplify the idea (because many people may not know what a waterspout is, and it is described usually as a water-tornado). However, in the text it is clarified that it is a waterspout.
Dean, as a foreign writer I do my best but I might not always get the right use for each word : ), in which sentence would you say I made a mistake? Thanks!
I'm from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and let me tell you, we are aware of what's happening we know about climate change, but what can we do about it??
It is not lack of common sense, it is a problem that affects the entire world not just us.
It's the second paragraph:
"Even though local press and specialists did not link the event to climate change, it happened after one of the hottest summers in history and it was the second rare incident related to Buenos Aires weather in less than a year. The previous was the first snowfall in almost 90 years, which took place last July".
Singular weather events mean nothing in the context of climate change. The statistics of weather will give events that are well out of the norm a certain percentage of the time, and you will get bigger outliers on a rare basis. You can't claim that climate change is causing these specific events in Argentina--and indeed you say the "specialists" did not link them, but then you suggest that you can in fact link the events. This is harmful to the otherwise factual science regarding climate change. Some global warming dissenters are harping on the slightly cooler winter this year in the northern hemisphere as evidence against GW. The idea that a single season's temperatures is proof for anything--for or against climate change--is absurd.
To identify climate change, you must rely on broad averaging to get around the problem of small signal statistics. It is there that the science behind global warming becomes solid and significant.
Dom...it's Buenos Aires!!!! All water heaters are tankless AND natural gas (like in Europe). Everyone uses public transportation (excellent bus service plus metro); AND those who drive do in small European cars. Utilities are very expensive so wasteful "a la american" it's unheard of. People shop with their own bags in the local grocer and produce store (and walk there and back!!!!). Back in the 80s there were recycling bins for glass and plastic bottles in the street (yes, back in the 80s!!!!). My 70 year old mother talks about global warming in Buenos Aires. And, on and on and on.
Let's leave countries that never moved to our wasteful way of life alone. Let's take care of business in the US, so China and India get it. Everyone else including Europe is on the right path.
Dean,
I see, I thought you were speaking about me using the word wrong.
Thanks for the explaining, but don't get me wrong. I'm aware that I'm no scientist to say these phenomena (snowfall and waterspouts) were in fact caused by global warming or climate change.
I was just enumerating facts of rare events and creating some discussion. I think it's important to leave antecedents on events like this so that we can have context if it happens that next year and the other we get similar happenings. I certainly hope it's an isolated event, though.
A member on our site uploaded a couple of pics of this event as well.
This one looks dangerously near a boat
This one showing the two water spouts
I'm living in Buenos Aires, but I'm originally from Kansas, where people learn about tornadoes from personal experience and a certain basic knowledge about how they form is part of everyday life. This event was NOT a surprise for me. One symptom of global warming is more extreme weather, and the first time, almost two years ago , that I saw the familiar yellow-green sky over Buenos Aires that something was amiss. An impressive hailstorm caused unprecedented damage and put holes in my balcony furniture that I could put my fist through. This was an extremely rare event for which the city was not prepared. And when smaller hailstorms became a fairly frequent occurrence, I knew it was only a matter of time before tornadoes started to form. I can imagine that if this trend continues, it could become a serious disaster. A large tornado running through the city of Buenos Aires could cause a catastrophic loss of life. I think this constitutes a tendency rather than being simply an odd weather phenomenon, because odd weather phenomenons are becomming commonplace here.