Live Here to Get Decimated by Tornadoes

After studying 105 tornadoes using doppler radar, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) found that wind speed was often higher than estimated on the ground. This research suggests that we need to better understand tornado strength and speed, and can use that to build better buildings to withstand these winds. Preparing buildings and communities for tornadoes could have far-reaching effects. Tornadoes can cause significant property damage, decimate buildings, and, in some cases, cause numerous fatalities. (Here is every $5 billion plus weather event since 2020.)

Tornadoes are impressive, but also quite frightening. With winds up to 300+ miles per hour, tornadoes can be incredibly destructive. Several smaller towns have been partially wiped out by tornadoes. Since the costs of repair can be extremely pricy, tornadoes can also hinder towns’ economic development. Tornado seasons across the United States usually span between March and July, with 70% of tornadoes happening between March and June. Wherever you live, you should be prepared for potential tornadoes — and if you live in Tornado Alley, even more so. Here, 24/7 Wall St. identified where tornadoes happen most often, and what safety tips can protect you in times of trouble. To do so, we used information from the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory, The Weather Channel, and the National Weather Service. We also included some suggestions from the American Red Cross and others to help keep you, your property, and your family safe during and after a tornado. This is information you’ll want to know when considering travel plans, insurance coverage for your property, or an appropriate storm shelter in your house.

Why We’re Covering This

Tornadoes pose a serious threat in many areas across the United States, and in many areas around the world. So understanding all that you can about these weather events (and potential natural disasters) is vital for your safety. By learning more about tornadoes, you can assess your risk level where you live and plan accordingly. The tips below can also provide concrete steps for you and your loved ones to make informed decisions, and stay safe and secure during these powerful storms. 

What Causes Tornadoes?

Meteorologists don’t entirely understand how tornadoes form, but in general terms, they are rotating vortexes that form from a specific type of thunderstorm known as a supercell. A convergence of warm and cool air creates a rotating updraft that can become an intensely violent storm up to a mile in diameter. A tornado can last for a few minutes to over an hour. It can settle over one place without moving much or crash over the landscape at up to 90 mph. They are most likely to take place in a windy, relatively flat landscape in the rainy and stormy weather of spring and summer. 

What Countries Have the Most Tornadoes?

The United States has an average of 1,200 tornadoes each year: by far the most of any country. In fact, tornadoes in the U.S. make up around 75% of tornadoes worldwide. Neighboring Canada has only a hundred or so weak tornadoes each year, given its colder temperatures. A second geographic region with concentrations of tornadoes is the so-called “Tornado Corridor” in South America, including parts of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Brazil. Europe as a whole has about 250 tornadoes a year, with the most number per land area concentrated in the United Kingdom. Australia suffers about 50 tornadoes a year. The deadliest tornadoes take place in Bangladesh, as they are similarly intense to tornadoes in the United States but occur in conditions of heavy population and inadequate medical care. 

Which States Have the Most Tornadoes?

Most tornadoes in the United States happen in “Tornado Alley”—a band of states in the center of the country with no clear geographical boundaries, but usually including the Plains states from the Canadian border south through Texas, and from as far west as Colorado to as far east as Ohio. This area has ideal climactic and geographical conditions for the formation of big and frequent tornados.

The Midwest

The Wizard of Oz seared Kansas in our minds as tornado country, and rightly so. Only Texas, a vastly larger state, has more tornadoes. Although the Great Plains are one of the most sparsely populated areas of the country, the frequent tornadoes there can flatten crops and destroy agricultural equipment and infrastructure. The costs get passed along to all of us through higher insurance rates and food prices to cover these losses. On average, Midwest states that face tornadoes include: 

• Kansas: 87
• Illinois: 57
• Iowa: 53
• Missouri: 53
• Minnesota: 46
• Nebraska: 45
• North Dakota: 29
• South Dakota: 28
• Indiana: 27
• Wisconsin: 26
• Ohio: 23
• Michigan: 12

The South

Sensational media references and Hollywood films about “Tornado Alley” can create a sense of complacency about the danger of tornadoes in other parts of the country. In fact, the American South is equally subject to frequent tornadoes, in part because the region is also a prime target of Atlantic and Caribbean hurricanes, which often spawn numerous tornadoes. The South gets nighttime tornadoes more frequently than other parts of the country, and this makes them more deadly as sleeping people don’t always hear alerts and sirens. Alabama has had some especially deadly storms over the years. But how many tornadoes does each state usually deal with? 

• Texas: 124
• Oklahoma: 66
• Alabama: 64
• Mississippi: 63
• Florida: 46
• Louisiana: 45
• Georgia: 40 
• Arkansas: 38
• North Carolina: 32
• Tennessee: 31
• Kentucky: 29
• South Carolina: 26
• Virginia: 21
• Maryland: 8
• West Virginia: 2
• Delaware: 1

The Northeast

The Northeast is the area with the fewest tornados, but Pennsylvania and New York, the largest states in the region, do hold the lion’s share when they occur. The region occasionally suffers a tornado-spawning hurricane, or the after-effects of one that travels up the coast from the South. Rhode Island is the only state that averages zero tornadoes a year. They have occurred there, but so infrequently that in an average year there is unlikely to be one. On average each year, the following states experience tornadoes:

• Pennsylvania: 16
• New York: 9
• C0nnecticut: 2
• Maine: 2
• Massachusetts: 2
• New Jersey: 2
• New Hampshire: 1
• Vermont: 1
• Rhode Island: 0

The West

In the West, Colorado gets by far the most tornadoes. If your mind immediately goes to the Rocky Mountains when you think of this state, keep in mind that the eastern half of it is a plain just like neighboring Nebraska and Kansas. Tornadoes do happen in the mountains as well, though. In Wyoming, for example, a strong tornado touched down and crossed the Continental Divide in Yellowstone National Park. You might be surprised to see Alaska on the list at all. Though rare, there have been documented cases of tornadoes there, including photos of one touching down on a mountain peak. Here are the average tornado counts: 

• Colorado: 41
• New Mexico: 9
• Wyoming: 9
• California: 8
• Arizona: 5
• Montana: 5
• Idaho: 3
• Washington: 3
• Nevada: 2
• Oregon: 2
• Utah: 2
• Alaska: 1
• Hawaii: 1

Take These Tornado Tips

There’s no need to live in terror of tornadoes, but there’s no need to be caught completely unprepared, either. Knowledge and preparation can help ease your mind, knowing you have done all you can to get ready for a worst-case scenario that, with any luck, will not actually come to pass. 

Tips: Before a Tornado

• Install a free weather app on your phone to alert you of severe weather events.
• Memorize the difference between a tornado watch (a tornado is possible) and a tornado warning (a tornado is near). Maybe this will help you remember: if a police officer is watching you, keep doing what you’re doing, but be careful. If the police officer is warning you, immediately do something different, or you’re going to be in real trouble. 
• Store bottled water, non-perishable food, a backup phone battery, a battery-powered radio, and necessary medications in your shelter.
• Keep essential documents backed up electronically and/or in hard copies in a waterproof container in your shelter.
• Practice tornado drills with your family and pets. Do not search for pets during a tornado, as you may have only seconds to get to safety.

Tips: During a Tornado

• Take shelter in a basement or storm shelter. If you don’t have one, take refuge in the lowest level of your house in a small windowless room.
• If you are driving, it is not safe to stay in your car. The wind can get under the vehicle and roll it or fling it airborne.
• Get out of the car and run to a sturdy building or lay down in a low-lying area. If there is absolutely no time to abandon the car, then tighten your seat belt, get down as low as possible, and cover your head. 
• Never take shelter under a highway overpass. It acts as a wind tunnel that accelerates the speed and force of the wind.

Tips: After a Tornado

• Follow all instructions of emergency personnel. Even if your home is not damaged, it may be necessary to evacuate because of the danger of gas leaks or other hazards in nearby homes. 
• Once evacuated, do not return to your home until officials have given the all-clear.  
• Be alert to the possibility of gas leaks, downed power lines, falling debris, and sharp nails and glass on the ground.

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