America’s Tornadoes are evolving very quickly
How Tornadoes Form and Form: An Empirical Study of the U.S. National Weather Service and a Comparison with the Ohio State University
More than 500 tornadoes have been recorded so far this year, which is third behind 2008 and 2017, according to The National Weather Service. And 13 of the 15 weeks this year have brought severe weather.
“We are still very unsure what the future holds,” says Jana Houser, a professor of meteorology at the Ohio State University. Changes in the jet stream and increased humidity can be seen as ways in which storms can be affected. Houser says there is not a way to know when and where tornadoes are going to occur.
Most tornadoes spring from uncommon supercell thunderstorms. To form, tornadoes need moist, warm air near the ground. But they also need a strong, vertical wind shear, which is caused by wind changing direction and speed between the ground and higher elevations. Air begins to spin horizontally in a cylinder-like shape. As that is lifted and speed increases, it narrows and forms a tornado that we recognize as a tornado.
It has been shown that tornadoes that occur in the dark are more dangerous than those that occur during the day. The biggest reason for tornadoes is people sleeping in the dark.
“A breakdown in warning dissemination appears to coincide with the overnight hours as most people are asleep during this period and fail to receive critical warning information,” the study suggests.
The New Normal: Weather Forecasts for the Southern Hemisphere during the Cold War and the Rise of the SCUBA Tornado Watches
The moist soil in theSoutheast makes it harder to survive a tornado, because it makes it more difficult to seek refuge above ground.
There has been a lot of snow, lots of rain and tornadoes in the storms, as well as some tornadoes in Los Angeles. The intensity has remained, and they have tracked east.
As those systems get farther east, these strong wind fields and surface Cyclones can contribute to heightened severe weather potential.
Winter was also warm across a large swath of the Eastern US, resulting in fewer cold fronts. Severe weather can be kept out by cold air since storms need warm air and humidity to thrive. The winter season was warmer than usual and more ingredients were in place to create strong storms.
While storm fatigue might be setting in, this is the time of year when the most tornadoes typically occur, and the weather will most likely stay active for the next two months.
Tornado watches are on the rise across the South, with counties in Mississippi seeing the highest increase over the last 20 years, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
“Supercells are projected to become more numerous in regions of the eastern United States, while decreasing in frequency in portions of the Great Plains,” the study says. Outside of the severe storm season, the risk of a supercell is expected to increase in late winter and early spring.
As the outlook on severe weather looks grim, the best thing to do is to stay vigilant and be prepared. Having a plan now and knowing what to do could save your life when severe weather strikes.
