April was the busiest month ever for tornado activity while May hosted the deadliest single tornado on record. Many refuse to talk about the links between tornadoes and climate change. They should check out Bill McKibben's op-ed in the Washington Post.

NOAA offers this: In the following time-lapse animation, April's tornado activity appears across the U.S. in red:

 

April Tornadoes - NOAA from The Rachel Maddow Show on Vimeo.

From the Washington Post:

Caution: It is vitally important not to make connections. When you see pictures of rubble like this week’s shots from Joplin, Mo., you should not wonder: Is this somehow related to the tornado outbreak three weeks ago in Tuscaloosa, Ala., or the enormous outbreak a couple of weeks before that (which, together, comprised the most active April for tornadoes in U.S. history). No, that doesn’t mean a thing. 

It is far better to think of these as isolated, unpredictable, discrete events. It is not advisable to try to connect them in your mind with, say, the fires burning across Texas — fires that have burned more of America at this point this year than any wildfires have in previous years. Texas, and adjoining parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico, are drier than they’ve ever been — the drought is worse than that of the Dust Bowl. But do not wonder if they’re somehow connected.

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