NATURE
What is ‘Tornado Alley’ and which states are in it?
Tornadoes are often concentrated in ‘tornado alley’ in the United States. Where is it and what does the term mean?
Tornadoes can occur any month of the year in the United States, mainly in the entities located in the plains. According to data from the National Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), last year there were 1,017 tornadoes in the American Union.
What is a tornado?
As defined by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a tornado is:
“A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris. Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we experience.”
About 1,200 tornadoes strike the United States annually, according to the NSSL. Most of these are concentrated in “tornado alley”.
Which states make up ‘tornado alley’ and what is it?
The term Tornado Alley was coined by United States Air Force meteorologists Capt. Robert C. Miller and Maj. Ernest J. Fawbush in a 1952 paper studying the patterns severe weather in the midwestern states.
Tornado Alley traditionally refers to the corridor-shaped region in the Midwestern United States where tornadoes typically occur. The term is also used regularly by the media.
'Tornado alley' generally includes parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa and Ohio. However, Tornado Alley may be moving to the east as more activity occurs in the belt between Louisiana and Illinois.
The idea of a "tornado alley" can be "misleading," according to the NSSL. The tornado threat in the United States moves from the Southeast in the colder months of the year, to the Central and Southern Plains in May and June, and to the Northern Plains and Midwest in early summer. Tornadoes can occur and have been reported in all fifty states.
What US state has the most tornadoes per year?
The two states with the most tornado activity are Texas and Kansas, with an average of 155 and 96 tornadoes per year, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information. Later, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Colorado follow, states that usually have between 51 and 66 tornadoes a year.