Not Just In Kansas, Anymore

There's a good bit of back-and-forth, is not/is too, so's-the-horse-you-rode-in-on commentary about whether or not we're in the middle of a climate change. I have resisted commentary. Until now. Time to take a stand.

We are in the middle of climate change. The hook is that it's not new. We have always been in the middle of climate change. And we will continue to be there until climate goes away permanently.

I'm old enough to remember when there were no tornadoes in Canada. We were too far north for the right climactic conditions to develop into funnel clouds. Several years ago, they started making the news in Ontario, then later in Alberta. A few days ago, I was on my way home late at night and waiting for a bus when the wind took a sudden sloppy/warm/wet slap at the people in the bus loop, then gusted, swirled, keened, stole a few caps, and kidnapped a whole pile of morning papers that had been tied in neat bundles to an anchoring post and scattered them from hell to breakfast.

I grabbed everything I was wearing tightly to me and opined, "That's tornado weather!" A few people looked at me like I was crazy. We don't get tornadoes in the Lower Rainland.

Weather reports the next day included sightings of funnel clouds and waterspouts.

How's that again?

Here's a really awesome, up-close-and-personal look at a recent storm on the border of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

We're not too far north of Kansas, anymore, Toto. Toto? Toto! Now where'd that damn dog get to...?