Ok folks, we are now heading into spring and what is our severe weather season.  This means that severe weather such as severe thunderstorms, hail, straight-line winds, micro-bursts, and, unfortunately, tornadoes will be on the increase.  The main months of activity are April, May and June.  

The main regions under threat are the mid-west and southern states.  The threat of severe weather is especially high over the region known as "tornado alley" which includes:  Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, and Minnesota.  Here is a link to learn more about "tornado alley":  Tornado Alley facts

Here are some Youtube links to tornado alley video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpms8khX5mE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sl_CM6wlry0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G3r6o2eTSw

A study of 1921–1995 tornadoes concluded almost one-fourth of all significant tornadoes occur in this area.  No state is entirely free of tornadoes; however, they occur more frequently in the Central United States, between the Rocky Mountains and Appalachian Mountains. Texas reports the most tornadoes of any state due to its large size, in addition to its proximity to Tornado Alley. Kansas and Oklahoma ranked first and second respectively in the number of tornadoes per area, per data collected through 2007, however in 2013 statistics from the National Climatic Data Center show Florida ranked first. Although Florida reports a high number and density of tornado occurrences, tornadoes there rarely reach the strength of those that sometimes occur in the southern plains. Regionally, the frequency of tornadoes in the United States is closely tied with the progression of the warm season when warm and cold air masses often clash.

In Tornado Alley, warm, humid air from the equator meets cool, dry air from Canada and the Rocky Mountains. This creates an ideal environment for tornadoes to form within developed thunderstorms and super cells.

Here is a link to reference for tornado safety:

Tornado safety tips

So if you live in one of the high-risk states of severe weather or any state in the USA, please refer to this information and these links to help better inform yourself.  Remember that it is not just tornadoes that are most threatening, in-land flooding from heavy rains, hail damage, wind damage from straight-line winds and micro-bursts, lightning strikes, etc...are all threatening cause damage to property and loss to life.  

Stay tuned to an future Blog as we approach the 2018 Hurricane Season starting on June 1st.