Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (2024)

Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (1)

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich talks about how the climate change is causing radical weather patterns around the world—and may be responsible for the tornadoes that struck the County earlier this week. He also addresses the closure of five Red Line Metrorail stations in the County for much of the summer due to construction related to the future Purple Line—and the transit alternatives that will be available to Red Line riders. He discusses the donation to and efforts to restore the historic Scotland AME Zion church in Potomac. He also reflects on the importance of celebrating June as Pride Month and how the County will have ceremonies on June 10 in Rockville to raise the Pride Flag.

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Stories in this issue include:

  • Women Veterans Day’ Will Honor County’s Female Veterans on Wednesday, June 12
  • ABS to Offer ‘Highly Allocated Products’ on Sunday June 9, as Monthly Program Expands
  • ‘Silver Spring Blues Week’ Plays Right Tunes June 9-15, Concluding with Free Festival
  • Tenor Michael Hayes to Perform Free Concert at Olney Library on June 9
  • 250th Anniversary of Rockville’s Founding to be Subject of Montgomery History Presentation

Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (2)

Montgomery County’s Commission on Veterans Affairs will join in the Maryland celebration of Women Veterans Day on Wednesday, June 12, with a virtual tribute to the County’s female veterans and a tribute display set up at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Downtown Silver Spring.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (3)

Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) has expanded its “Highly Allocated Products” program to include quarterly releases on Sundays. The program is comprised of special releases of products, including sought-after bourbons, whiskeys and other small-batch spirits. The program ensures that access to rare products is distributed fairly among retail customers and license holders across the County.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (4)

The 15th Annual “Silver Spring Blues Week” will turn Downtown Silver Spring into a week-long party of music from June 9-15, with legendary Daryl Davis and Angela Hill kicking off the festivities on Sunday, June 9. The week will conclude with the free all-day festival from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday, June 15, on the stages on Ellsworth Drive.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (5)

Tenor and area resident Michael Hayes will perform songs from Broadway and opera in a free performance at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, at the Olney branch of Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL). Mr. Hayes recently retired from a 35-year opera/musical theater career, where he earned a reputation as one of the world’s most versatile and charismatic tenors.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (6)

A virtual community meeting about the future of the Bethesda Market Park will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18. The future park site is adjacent to the Montgomery Farm Women’s Cooperative Market in Downtown Bethesda.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (7)

Montgomery County’s Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Recycling and Resource Management Division has launched its “Backyard Food Scraps Compost Bin Bulk Discount Sale” with pickup dates on Saturday, June 22, and Sunday, June 23. Through the bulk discount sale, residents can purchase the Earth Machineand HotFrog Dual Chamber Tumbler at a reduced cost.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (8)

The Montgomery Office of Human Rights, the Montgomery County Chapter of the NAACP and the Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church will host a free seminar for first-time homebuyers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, in Gaithersburg.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (9)

Montgomery County’s digital equity and inclusion program, “Montgomery Connects,” which is operated by the County’s Department of Technology and Enterprise Business Solutions (TEBS), will be distributing approximately 25,000 computers at no charge to eligible residents. The computers will be given out at events through June. Upcoming events include Tuesday, June 11, in Silver Spring; Wednesday, June 12, in Germantown and Thursday, June 13, in Rockville.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (10)

High school graduates in the Class of 2024 and other recent graduates can consider entering a special state program that will enhance their job skills and possibly introduce them to people who could help with the eventual careers. They could apply for theService Year Option Programestablished by Governor Wes Moore last year. The next opportunity will begin this September, but applications must be submitted by Saturday, June 15.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (11)

Metro, along with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT), Montgomery County Department of Transportation and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is offering a range of travel options for customers affected by the summer closure Metro Red Line stations at Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen and Silver Spring through Saturday, Aug. 31. The Takoma Park station will be closed through June 29.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (12)

The 250th anniversary of the “Hungerford Resolves,” when 10 men from the area that became Montgomery County signed a set of historic agreements at Hungerford’s Tavern in the tiny crossroads village now called Rockville, will be celebrated with a free online presentation of Montgomery History at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 11. That is the actual anniversary of the historic event.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (13)

The “Adventure Starts Here” themed Summer Reading Challenge for children and teens will begin on Friday, June 14, and will run through Saturday, Aug. 31. Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) will hold six celebratory kickoff events will in June at various library branches. Friends of the Library, Montgomery County, Inc. and the Washington Nationals baseball team are sponsors of the program.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (14)

Due to the closure and rebuilding of the Spring Street Bridge in Silver Spring, Ride On routes 1, 5, 11, 18, and 28 are experiencing detours that are expected to continue through January 2025.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (15)

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has again wrapped a Ride On bus to become the Pride Bus that will operate over routes throughout the County through June is celebrated as Pride Month.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (16)

The 23rd Annual “Paws in the Park Dog Walk and Fest” will return from noon- 4 p.m. onSaturday, June 15, at the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg. The event is sponsored by the Montgomery County Humane Society.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (17)

The Make a Difference broadcast highlights how volunteers can make a difference in the lives of their fellow Montgomery County residents. The newest episode, which can be viewed on County Cable Montgomery and online, looks at the work volunteers are doing with the “Girls on the Run of Montgomery County” program.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (18)

The TAPP Consortium of local performing arts companies including the Kentlands Community Players, Rockville Little Theatre, Rockville Musical Theatre and Victorian Lyric Opera Company will combine their talents to present the Pride Month musical revue “Love Is Love Is Love” on June 29 and 30 in Gaithersburg.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (19)

Young Montgomery County entrepreneurs will again have a chance to show their creativity, business sense and sales ability by developing and displaying products for the Fourth Annual Montgomery County Children's Business Fair that will be held on Aug. 10 in Rockville Town Square. The event is open to youngsters ages 6-15.

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Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes (2024)

FAQs

Montgomery Update: Climate Change Is Causing Radical Weather—Including Tornadoes? ›

A Message from County Executive Marc Elrich

Are tornadoes getting worse due to climate change? ›

Global warming may well end up making them more frequent or intense, as our intuition would tell us. But it might also actually suppress them—the science just isn't clear yet. Neither is the historical record. There is no real evidence that tornadoes are happening more often.

Are tornadoes getting worse in the USA? ›

The total number of tornadoes in the United States each year has stayed relatively consistent over the last several decades, but they now happen in more concentrated bursts over fewer days during the year.

Why have there been so many tornadoes this year? ›

The lack of a date-delineated “tornado season” has been evident in 2024, with this year being called the most active tornado season since 2017. Unusually warm temperatures – both land and sea – have caused increased storm systems which have frequently spun off tornadoes.

Is 2024 a record year for tornadoes? ›

2024 on track for record number of tornadoes, but why? DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Climate researchers say this year's tornado season has been nearly 40% more active than last year's.

How will climate change affect Alabama? ›

If the oceans and atmosphere continue to warm, sea level along the Alabama coast is likely to rise eighteen inches to four feet in the next century. Rising sea level submerges wetlands and dry land, erodes beaches, and exacerbates coastal flooding.

Where is Tornado Alley shifting to? ›

But in the years since, that hot spot of tornadoes has shifted markedly east. Researchers have pointed to parts of the Deep South and Tennessee Valley as being the modern-day Tornado Alley.

What is the best state to avoid tornadoes? ›

The states with the fewest tornadoes
  • Alaska.
  • Hawaii.
  • Washington, D.C.
  • West Virginia.
6 days ago

What US state has the worst tornadoes? ›

The state with the most number of tornadoes classified as "violent", or F4 and F5, is Kentucky, and the state with the highest average intensity ranking for tornadoes is Alabama.

Where do most tornadoes in the US move toward? ›

The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction. “Tornado Alley” is a nickname given to an area in the southern plains of the central U.S. that consistently experiences a high frequency of tornadoes each year.

Which state has the most tornadoes in 2024? ›

The highest number of tornado warnings issued in the U.S. so far this year has been in Texas (216), followed by Oklahoma (195).

Why is the US the only place that gets tornadoes? ›

DENVER — Violent tornadoes can happen just about everywhere on earth, but there are far more in the United States than anywhere else, thanks to a combination of factors. The Gulf of Mexico frequently supplies the first ingredient, packing the low-level air with ample moisture, which warms over the continent.

What was the worst tornado in history? ›

This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925.

What is the lifespan of a tornado? ›

Tornadoes can last from several seconds to more than an hour. The longest-lived tornado in history is really unknown, because so many of the long-lived tornadoes reported from the early-mid 1900s and before are believed to be tornado series instead. Most tornadoes last less than 10 minutes.

What is the longest lasting tornado ever recorded? ›

The so-called Tri-State Tornado traveled an exact heading N 69° E for 183 of its 219 mile track. It was on the ground for 3 ½ hours and killed an estimated 695 people. Its average forward (not rotational) speed was 27.7 m/s (62 mph) with a maximum speed of 32.6 m/s (73 mph).

What state has the most tornadoes during the year on average? ›

Texas leads the nation in the number of tornadoes that occur each year on average, followed by Kansas. Texas leads the nation for the average number each year only because of its size.

Are storms getting worse due to climate change? ›

Stronger hurricanes are becoming more common in a warmer climate. Researchers suggest that the most damaging U.S. hurricanes are three times more frequent than 100 years ago, and that the proportion of major hurricanes (Category 3 or above) in the Atlantic Ocean has doubled since 1980.

Is Tornado Alley getting worse? ›

So far this year, tornadoes have taken at least 58 lives across 10 states, already surpassing the annual average. Much of that is because the season is starting earlier, and tornado alley is expanding due to a warmer climate.

Why is this tornado season so bad? ›

Scientists say when the Gulf of Mexico is warmer than normal, it can make tornadoes worse. New research also suggests that climate change may be intensifying tornadoes at certain times of the year — as temperatures rise, more fuel is available for severe storms.

Are winter tornadoes becoming more common? ›

Tornadoes Are Typical, Even In Winter

Over the last 20 years, an average of 123 tornadoes have occurred in the U.S. from December through February. However, t​hat average masks a lot of variability. A​ December record 232 tornadoes tore through the U.S. in 2021, mainly from two large outbreaks in less than a week.

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