In the United States, there are two regions with a disproportionately high frequency of tornadoes. Florida is one and “Tornado Alley” in the south-central United States is the other. Florida has numerous tornadoes simply due to the high frequency of almost daily thunderstorms. In addition, several tropical storms or hurricanes often impact the Florida peninsula each year. When these tropical systems move ashore, the embedded convective storms in the rain bands often produce tornadoes. However, despite the violent nature of a tropical storm or hurricane, the tornadoes they spawn (some as water spouts) tend to be weaker than those produced by non-tropical thunderstorms.
Tornado Alley is a nickname given to an area in the southern plains of the central United States that consistently experiences a high frequency of tornadoes each year. Tornadoes in this region typically happen in late spring and occasionally the early fall.
Strong to violent tornadoes (those of EF-3 or stronger on the Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Intensity Scale), are relatively rare, and do not typically occur outside the United States. Although the boundaries of Tornado Alley are debatable (depending on which criteria you use—frequency, intensity, or events per unit area), the region from central Texas, northward to northern Iowa, and from central Kansas and Nebraska east to western Ohio is often collectively known as Tornado Alley. Meteorologically, the region known as Tornado Alley is ideally situated for the formation of supercell thunderstorms, often the producers of violent (EF-2 or greater) tornadoes.
Overall, most tornadoes (around 77%) in the United States are considered weak (EF-0 or EF-1) and about 95% of all United States tornadoes are below EF-3 intensity. The remaining small percentage of tornadoes are categorized as violent (EF-3 and above). Of these violent twisters, only a few (0.1% of all tornadoes) achieve EF-5 status, with estimated winds over 200 mph and nearly complete destruction. However, given that on average over 1,000 tornadoes hit the United States each year, that means that 20 can be expected to be violent and possibly one might be incredible (EF-5).
Therefore, I’ve lived in Tornado Alley all of my life. Yes, I knew Nebraska is part of Tornado Alley, but was clueless about Indiana and Florida also being in Tornado Alley. Florida, tornado alley??
Probably the most famous tornado wasn’t even a tornado. It was a figment of imagination in Hollywood. Of course I’m talking about the tornado that carried Dorthy from her Kansas farm to Oz.
I’ve seen my share of tornados, some still very vivid memories. I’ll never forget the tornado that hit in South Dakota one summer. Luckily nobody was hurt, but much damage was done to my Uncle’s house along with others in the area. My other Uncle along with six adults and two kids in his new Lincoln car were out in front of the tornado running away from it. This of course is highly discouraged; the best way to stay safe during an impeding tornado is to get underground. This is what my other Uncle did with his family when the tornado affected their house.
Here are some pictures of rare twin tornado that hit a small Nebraska town, Pilger, just two years ago. It devastated the town.
Here’s just one of many videos on YouTube Pilger, NE June 2014, and one of Kearney, Nebraska 2008. I certainly don’t recommend chasing tornadoes, but it is big business. There are companies that take individuals out hunting for a super cell and tornado. Not my type of vacation but for a thrill seeker, it may be quite a high. For me, if I see green, I’m running for shelter!
Floridians experience several tornadoes each year. Just a couple weeks ago we slept as a tornado hit less than a mile from our house. We heard the storm hit at about 4 am but there are no severe weather alerts in Florida like there are in the Midwest. Growing up we had sirens that blared loudly signaling to take shelter below ground, not here in Florida. In fact, there is no ‘under ground’ shelter as nobody has a basement.
According to the National Climatic Data Center for the period between 1991–2010, seventeen U.S. states with the highest average tornadoes per 10,000 square miles or 26,000 km2 are:
Florida: 12.2
Kansas: 11.7
Maryland: 9.9
South Carolina: 9.8
Illinois: 9.7
Mississippi: 9.2
Iowa: 9.1
Oklahoma: 9
Alabama: 8.6
Louisiana: 8.5
Arkansas: 7.5
Nebraska: 7.4
Missouri: 6.5
North Carolina: 6.4
Tennessee: 6.2
Texas: 5.9
Minnesota: 5.7
My guess is Forida has a high number because of the daily thunderstorms in the summer and the fact that many tropical storms spawn tornadoes as well. But no Florida tornado that I know is as strong as the ones in the Midwest.
This waterspout is from just a year back and occurred in Old Tampa Bay; we live one block from the bay so had we been home at the time, we would have seen this too.
About 6 months back when returning from the airport we saw a water spout over Clearwater Beach. Luckily these water spouts and tornados in Florida are just wind gusts compared to the awesome tornadoes in the Midwest. By all accounts today and this evening are shaping up to be very active in tornado alley. When it’s dark, it’s even harder to spot a tornado. To those living there today, keep one eye in the sky and be safe! Keep your weather radio or TV turned on during the evening and listen, I know it can be hard with the howling winds, for the sirens to take cover.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, State of the Climate: Tornadoes for January 2016, published online February 2016, retrieved on April 26, 2016 from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/tornadoes/201601.
http://www.abcactionnews.com/news/region-north-pinellas/oldsmar/waterspout-comes-ashore-in-oldsmar
http://www.nebraskaweatherphotos.org/giphoto3.html
Cover Photo: Grand Island, NE 1980 twin tornado.