AOC Called Out by Meteorologist After Linking DC Tornado Warning to Climate Change

Now socialist Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is linking tornado warnings in Washington, D.C. to climate change.

AOC posted a video on Instagram showing a severe thunderstorm outside that prompted a tornado warning inside the Beltway.


She then shared a story published by PBS in March questioning if climate change makes tornadoes worse and put emphasis on a quote from the piece that read, "Rather than lie squarely in the Great Plains, America’s tornadoes appear to be sliding into the Midwest and Southeast."

"Tornadoes are challenging to link to climate change links due to their nature (geographically, limited, acute patterns, how they form, etc.)," Ocasio-Cortez told her followers as she reviewed the article. "But we DO know that tornadoes HAVE been changing. They are no longer being limited to the Great Plains, and are shifting to other regions of the country."

“The climate crisis is real y’all … guess we’re at casual tornadoes in growing regions of the country,” she later wrote on Instagram.

But Ryan Maue, who holds a PhD in metrology, quickly set her straight. It was just damn weather.

I thought this was fake but it's from @AOC Instagram story.

No idea what she means with "casual tornadoes" and how this line of severe thunderstorms is proof of any "climate crisis".

It's just the weather in D.C. 🤷‍♂️ pic.twitter.com/r015cScVZg

— Ryan Maue (@RyanMaue) May 23, 2019

Here, by the way, according to The Washington Post, is the history of tornados in Washington D.C. which is only 68.34 square miles in surface area. (In contrast, Kansas, in the heart of tornado country, is 62,2787 square miles in surface area).

Aug. 25, 1814
The same day that British troops set fire to the Capitol, White House and other public buildings, a strong tornado struck downtown D.C. The storm's rains extinguished the fires and flying debris killed British soldiers. The tornado also blew off roofs, knocked down chimneys and destroyed some homes. At least 30 Americans and an unknown number of British were killed and injured.

Sept. 16, 1888
At 3:15 p.m., an F2 tornado touched down in downtown D.C., between 9th and 10 streets in Northwest and moved up Maryland Avenue. Two homes lost their roofs and the National Museum and Botanical Gardens were damaged. The path of damage was two miles long and 70 yards wide, but no injuries or fatalities were reported.

April 5, 1923
At 2:30 p.m., an F3 tornado hit Rock Creek Park and moved north to Silver Spring. The path of damage was 11 miles long and as wide as 250 yards. Twenty people were injured, seven homes were destroyed and 12 more were damaged. There were no fatalities.

May 14, 1927
At 6 p.m., an F0 tornado was reported near Capitol Street and Rhode Island Avenue. There were no fatalities or injuries, and damage was minor.

Nov. 17, 1927
At 2:25 p.m., an F2 tornado crossed the Potomac River from Arlington and touched down at Navy Yard, near 8th and M streets in Southwest. The tornado moved northeast, narrowly missing the Capitol Building before dissipating in Prince George's County. The tornado swept across about 17 miles in total, including about three miles in District, where it was 140 yards wide. Fifty people were injured and 439 buildings in D.C. were damaged.

May 21, 1943
A waterspout over the Potomac River swept inland as an F0 tornado. It passed within a few yards of the Jefferson Memorial before dissipating. There was no damage or injuries.

May 21, 1943
There were reports of a short-lived funnel touching down near the Navy Hospital. There was no damage or injuries.

May 18, 1995
At 1:22 p.m., an F1 tornado hit the National Arboretum, uprooting dozens of trees before crossing the Anacostia River. No injuries were reported.

-RW