High-intensity tornado occurrences increased over last 20 years, study finds
JOPLIN, Mo. (KSNF) — Tornado season is underway here in the Midwest — unfortunately many of us are all to aware of how close to home these violent storms can occur.
Just as spring storm season begins to ramp up, a new study published by Captain Experiences, highlights locations in the U.S. with the largest increase in high-intensity tornadoes over the last 20 years.
To find the locations with the largest increase in tornadoes, researchers ranked locations by the total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences from the 20-year period ending in November 2004 to the 20-year period ending in November 2023. High-intensity tornadoes were considered to be those categorized as EF2 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.
“What I find in this study intriguing is just the spike that we’ve had in the last 20 years. But we’re basing this off of climatology. That means we’re going on the laws of averages. Of course, weather never sticks with an average, it’s always fluctuating and so we’re going to get periods like this. Unfortunately in the Four States we’re the target for some of the worst of it,” says Meteorologist Ray Foreman.
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Tornadoes have impacted all U.S. states during the last decade, except for Alaska, causing $14.1 billion in damages. Half of that damage occurred in just five states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Mississippi, and Texas, demonstrating the pronounced shift eastward from Tornado Alley to “Dixie Alley” — the area roughly stretching from eastern Texas to the western borders of the Carolinas.
“One of the things about Tornado Alley is everybody likes to claim they live in it. So you have to keep that in mind. It does fluctuate from year to year. Every year is not the same by any means. And so you will see it shift especially with the seasons. What we consider Tornado Alley during the month of April is different than the tornado alley we see in May that we’re familiar with right here in the Four States. We’re in the middle of it when it comes to severe weather in May,” says Foreman.
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A portion of the new study focuses on “Small Metros With the Biggest Increase in High-Intensity Tornadoes.” The Joplin metro area falls under this section, which includes the following information:
During the 20-year period ending in November 2023, the Joplin metro area endured 9 high-intensity tornadoes — 5 more than the previous 20-year span.
Overall, tornadoes resulted in 178 fatalities and 1,379 injuries.
In terms of the impact to property, the Joplin metro faced average annual damages of $197,818,926 (after adjusting for inflation) each year of the study period.
As for “States With the Biggest Increase in High-Intensity Tornadoes,” Missouri is ranked fourth.
You can ready the full report, HERE.
