What are the months with the highest risk of tornadoes in the USA and when does the season end?
The United States is a big country and due to its geography experiences some extreme weather events throughout the year. Here’s when to expect tornadoes.
Depending on the time of the year Americans can expect one kind of storm or another throughout the year. Each one brings with it certain kinds of dangers and precautions that should be taken to keep yourself safe.
Some of the most severe weather is associated with the spring as one of Mother Nature’s most powerful and violent phenomena occur, tornados. However, tornadoes can form anytime of the year, but they are more frequent in certain geographic areas at specific times of the year.
Generally, the threat of tornados is greater in the Southeast during the cooler months of the year. As temperatures rise the threat moves west with peak tornado season in May and June for the southern and central Plains. The northern Plains and Midwest experience the most activity during early summer.
Tornadoes are common in the US
While they occur in many parts of the world, the US is one of the places where tornadoes appear the most with an average of around 1,200 annually. Tornados result in around 85 deaths per year and over 1,500 injuries. They mainly occur east of the Rocky Mountains where the concentration of the ideal conditions needed for their formation come together.
Cold dry air from the northwest and dry warm air from the southwest flow out of the mountain regions hitting warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico creating the storm cells that spawn twisters. This convergence mainly takes place over a section of the US known as “Tornado Alley” spanning from Central Texas through the Plains up to South Dakota. However, the term can be misleading as the frequency of tornados shifts from one geographical area to another during the year. Likewise, the overall frequency in this area has been decreasing while increasing further east according to a study published in Nature.
Tornados can form at any time of day, but are most common between 4 and 9 pm according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory at NOAA.
When is Hurricane season?
While the official hurricane season last for roughly six months going from late spring to late fall, like tornados, hurricanes can form at any time of year. The US has three different hurricane seasons, the Atlantic, Central Pacific and Eastern and each one has specific peaks spanning from July to September.