Big cities surpassed the rate of growth of their surrounding suburbs at an even faster clip, a sign of America's continuing preference for urban living after the economic downturn quelled enthusiasm for less-crowded expanses. Economists generally had played down the recent city boom as an aberration, predicting that young adults in the recovering economy would soon be back on the move after years of staying put in big cities. [...] the widening gains for cities in 2012 indicate that young people — as well as would-be retirees seeking quieter locales — are playing it safe for a while longer in dense urban cores, where jobs may be easier to find and keep. Cities with booming regional economies continue to see the biggest gains — from Seattle and San Francisco to Austin, Texas, Raleigh, N.C., and Washington, D.C., locales seeing a burst of new apartment construction. "Cities have become more appealing to young people, with more things to do and places to see," said Mark Obrinsky, chief economist at the National Multi Housing Council, a Washington-based trade group. Census data show that many closer-in suburbs linked to a city with public transit or well-developed roadways are benefiting from strong city growth, while far-flung areas near the metropolitan edge are fizzling after heady growth during the mid-decade housing boom.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Everything had to come together just perfectly to create the killer tornado in Moore, Okla.: wind speed, moisture in the air, temperature and timing. "Everything was ready for explosive development yesterday," said Colorado State University meteorology professor Russ Schumacher, who was in Oklahoma launching airborne devices that measured the energy, moisture and wind speeds on Monday. Several meteorologists contacted by The Associated Press used real time measurements, some made by Schumacher, to calculate the energy released during the storm's 40-minute life span. The strongest winds ever measured were the 302 mph reading, measured by radar, during the EF5 tornado that struck Moore on May 3, 1999, according to Jeff Masters, meteorology director at the Weather Underground. [...] when it comes to weather events, scientists usually know more about and can better predict hurricanes, winter storms, heat waves and other big events. [...] tornadoes are still more of a mystery than their hurricane cousins, even though tropical storms form over ocean areas where no one is, while this tornado formed only miles from the very National Weather Service office that specializes in tornadoes. Unlike hurricanes, which forecasters can fly through in planes and monitor with buoys and weather stations, usually over a period of days, tornadoes form quickly and normally last only a matter of minutes. [...] the conditions needed to form such a violent and devastating tornado were there and forecasters knew it, warning five days in advance that something big could happen, Brooks said. By Monday morning, forecasters at the National Weather Center, home of the storm lab and storm prediction center, knew "that any storm that formed in that environment had the potential to be a strong to violent tornado," he said. "Tornadoes are perhaps the most difficult things to connect to climate change of any extreme," said NASA climate scientist Tony Del Genio. Because we still don't understand all the factors required to get a tornado.

In any case, scientists just don't know whether there will be more or fewer twisters as global warming increases. They're not easy to incorporate in the large computer simulations scientists use to gauge the impact of global warming. Some scientists theorize that the jet stream is changing because sea ice in the Arctic is shrinking. A. The tornado destroyed two elementary schools and flattened neighborhoods with winds estimated between 200 and 210 mph. Winds in the area caused the storm to rotate, and that rotation promoted the development of a tornado.

The gigantic October storm lost tropical characteristics hours before landfall in New Jersey, so the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stopped calling it a hurricane. Coastal residents and the news media misinterpreted Sandy's potential impacts, the report said. New York City's emergency management office "was confused about the storm surge forecast, what and where the impacts would be and how high the water would rise," the report said, adding that it took a phone call from the National Hurricane Center to tell them how serious it was. The report highlighted a Philadelphia weather service office, where a meteorologist sent out a personal plea for people to take the storm seriously that included if you think the storm is over-hyped and exaggerated, please err on the side of caution. MIT tropical meteorologist Kerry Emanuel, who had no role in writing the report, praised the weather service's forecast as "very good," but said the agency "had serious problems communicating the risk to those who needed to know."

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans police and federal authorities were searching early Tuesday for a young man who is suspected of opening fire at a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans, wounding 19. Referring to blurry surveillance camera images of the mass shooting, Serpas said police have "multiple identifications of Akein Scott as the shooter" seen in the film. Earlier, police announced a $10,000 reward and released the surveillance camera images, which led to several tips from the community. The superintendent said SWAT team members and U.S. marshals served a searched warrant at one location looking for Scott, but didn't locate him. The investigators tasked with solving Sunday's shooting work within an agency that's had its own troubles rebounding from years of corruption while trying to halt violent crime. Whoever was responsible escaped despite the presence of officers who were interspersed through the crowd as part of routine precautions for such an event. A police news release says Scott has previously been arrested for illegal carrying of a weapon, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, resisting an officer, contraband to jail, illegal carrying of a weapon while in possession of a controlled dangerous substance and possession of heroin. Last week, law enforcement officials touted the indictment of 15 people in gang-related crimes, including the death of a 5-year-old girl killed by stray gunfire at a birthday party a year ago. New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu walked into the area, greeting people, shaking hands and stopping to talk with some residents before addressing the crowd. Leading efforts to lower the homicide rate is a police force that's faced its own internal problems and staffing issues. Serpas, who has been chief since 2010, has been working to overcome the effects of decades of scandal and community mistrust arising from what the U.S. Justice Department says has been questionable use of force and biased policing.