The recent tornado that devastated several rural communities in western Mississippi, leaving at least 25 people dead and hundreds without shelter, has stirred questions about the relationship between the destructive storm and climate change. While most extreme weather events have been clearly connected to the high temperatures and record rainfall caused by global warming, linking tornadoes to climate change is more elusive. Scientists confirm that tornadoes require warm weather to form and that climate change is changing the environment in which they occur. However, they currently cannot directly connect the dots between the two factors since research into the link between climate and tornadoes lags behind other extreme weather events like hurricanes and wildfires. Though scientists cannot say definitively whether or not global warming is causing more frequent and powerful tornadoes, they agree that climate change impacts the frequency, intensity, and distribution of tornadoes over time. While people whose lives have been shattered by these storms urgently need relief and recovery assistance, it is also critical for governments, researchers, and communities to focus on longer-term solutions to reduce the vulnerability of people and infrastructure to tornadoes and other natural hazards.