North Alabama seeing fewer tornadoes than last year to date
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Here in North Alabama, we see all types of weather from snow to severe storms to tornadoes. In Alabama, tornadoes can occur during any month of the year but are most common during the spring and fall seasons.
Above is a look at the number of tornadoes per month for Alabama from 1950 to 2023.
The highest frequency of tornado development is during March and April. We typically see an increase in the strongest storms during these months, leading to the tornado threat. We see a bigger difference in temperature gradients with strong storm systems during the spring and fall seasons.
North Alabama has seen three tornadoes so far this year. Two tornadoes have been ranked EF0 and the third an EF1. One of the EF0 tornadoes and the EF1 was associated with a line of strong storms that quickly moved through the area on April 2.
When we look at this time last year, we had experienced a very active start to 2023. A total of 14 tornadoes had developed one of which was an EF3. It’s important to remember that even though this season hasn’t been as active as 2023, so far, we need to keep our guard up.
With severe storms possible year-long, tornadoes are also possible. Always stay weather aware when there’s the threat of severe weather and have multiple ways to receive alerts.
National Tornado Statistics:
When we look at the United States’ daily tornado count for 2024 through April 15th the the total is lower than the annual average. It’s important to note that this year’s count is preliminary and could change. The tornado count for 2024, up to April 15th, is 294. This is nearly 70 tornadoes fewer than the 10-year annual average when looking at data from 2005 to 2015.
Nationwide there have been nearly 700 tornado warnings issued. Locally, the National Weather Service Office in Huntsville has issued six warnings.
When there is the threat of severe weather you can count on the Weather Authority to keep you safe!
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