Mother Nature is One Mad Mamma

Mother Nature is really treating us in the Midwest like we've been misbehaving, and while most of us aren't naughty little kids, she's right to be at least a little mad. 

Let me preface this little narrative by stating that this isn't your typical, politicized version of climate change propaganda. We're not choosing sides here. With that said, it's pretty obvious that humans have an impact on how the planet treats us in return. You don't have to have a doctorate to understand that pumping billions of tons of c02 into the atmosphere or discarding garbage out the window is in no way good for us. 

My in-laws own property in southwestern Missouri. 80 or so acres, to be exact. It's a serene landscape with rolling hills and pine trees that tower over the two cabins on the compound. Overall, it's an absolutely breathtaking piece of property that offers stunning views into a nearby valley and terrific opportunities for photography. 

Myself and my wife made the trip down over this past Memorial Day weekend and on Sunday experienced some severe weather that, in all honesty, was pretty scary. A quick look at the radar revealed that this wasn't isolated and there were numerous tornado warnings and watches throughout almost the entire state. Then it occurred to me; Missouri has had a LOT of tornadoes so far in 2024. 

That got me digging. 

As it turns out, Missouri has seen 62 tornadoes so far this year and that is as of May 20th, so the action we saw over the weekend hasn't been fully factored into that statistic as of this writing. SIXTY TWO! 

Now, it's common knowledge that Missouri sees a fair amount of tornadoes each year, but this year in particular seems a bit out of the ordinary. And that got me digging more. What I found was quite frightening. Prior to 2003, Missouri had not seen a year with triple-digit tornadoes since record keeping began. In fact, only one year (1982) came even close at 92 (keep in mind that the entirety of the weather was strange that year with a record-setting blizzard in the winter months). Since 2003, we've seen triple digits three times and in 2006, almost made it to 150 total. In fact, between the years 1950 and 1954, there were only 63 tornadoes total. 

I could quote statistics all day because I'm a huge nerd, but I won't torture the reader with that. What I will say is that the average number of tornadoes over the last 20 years has more than tripled compared to the 50 years prior. 

To deny that the climate is changing is hard to do and whether it's as a result of human influence or not is irrelevant. Regardless of the culprit, we need to do more to please mother nature because she's one mad mamma right now. 

At Rivers Edge, we partner with companies and people that truly take this ethos to heart. People like Guy Harvey. Dr. Harvey is a world-renowned artist, author and oceanic preservationist. His artwork dons many of the items in our catalog, items which a portion of the sale goes directly to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation - an organization which funds scientific research and educational incentives. We carry the face of Smokey Bear on merchandise designed to educate and remind us  to take care of our forests. Beyond that, we've gone out of our way to ensure that our product lineup is constructed in a manner which is the least dangerous to the environment as possible. 

At Rivers Edge, we are proud to be doing our part. Help us out. Your mother would want it that way.