The tornadoes to hit Joplin, Missouri, are just the latest in a series of extreme weather outbreaks around the world. Even here in Canada, wildfires, torrential rain and flooding have been devastating communities.
So what’s behind this rash of extreme weather and is it a sign of a changing climate?
Environment Canada’s David Phillips says there is certainly an element of climate change in all these weather disasters, but that doesn’t tell the whole story.