AOC films first Washington DC tornado warning: 'The climate crisis is real y’all'

Democrat uses bad weather as opportunity to talk about her Green New Deal

The tornado did not ultimately strike DC, touching down in nearby Maryland county instead (AP)

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has used a tornado warning in Washington DC as an example of extreme weather in support of her demand for a more concerted effort to tackle the "climate crisis".

In a series of posts shared on Instagram, the Democratic congresswoman expressed concern over the weather, which she noted to her followers was not something the New York native was used to.

“Guys, they just issued a tornado watch in DC,” she said, before turning her camera to her staff, standing together in her office.

She then panned over to the street, showing the weather, where she noticed people were still outside.

“Oh no, there’s people stuck outside,” she said over the footage; commenting on what appeared to be two parking attendants outside in the rain. “We need to get them out.”

She then filmed a door in the Capitol while a tornado siren went off.

She also posted a story clarifying the difference between a tornado warning, which means a tornado has been spotted, and a tornado watch, which means conditions are right for a tornado. Washington DC, at the time, was under a warning.

In a series of photos showing statistics, Ms Ocasio-Cortez urged her followers to focus on the fight against climate change.

“The climate crisis is real y’all,” she wrote in a text across her story, pointing to her proposed "Green New Deal" in the midst of the storm. “Guess we’re at casual tornadoes in growing regions of the country.”

Climate change is believed to be changing the courses and strength of tornadoes, moving deadlier ones to regions that previously faced lesser versions.

However, in Thursday’s case, the tornado did not ultimately strike DC, touching down in nearby Maryland county instead.