A NASA Goddard scientist says that the massive thunderstorm–complete with tornado–that struck New York City on Wednesday was not the result of global warming.

In a FoxNews.com article, James Hansen explains that the storm cannot be blamed on climate change, but it can be attributed to human activity.

Cities, it seems, make storms worse. Tall buildings direct wind upward, intensifying the storms. City heat islands, like warm ocean water to a hurricane, fuel storms. And objects in cities invite intense lightening strikes.

Oh, and for those of you in St. Louis who think this week’s weather is unprecedented, you simply haven’t lived or simply don’t remember. The string of relatively mild summers over the past decade have fooled you. Go back to the 1950s when people slept on the side of Lindbergh Road to escape the heat of the city.