Map by Katie Wheatley. Source: SPC. I recently detailed the 58 F5/EF-5 tornadoes that have been recorded in the United States. They are the ultimate low probability, but very high consequence weather event. In many ways the tornadoes one step below the F5/EF-5 giants are equally dangerous, with the added problem of being considerably more likely.
When looking at the top-10 of states hit by violent tornadoes, then taking violent tornado counts per 10,000 square miles, Oklahoma and Iowa are roughly tied for the lead with 3.5 violent tornadoes per 10,000 square miles from 1950-2011.
Somewhat surprisingly, having just gone through it, that tally ranks only 4th for a yearly total. 1974 (36), 1965 (31) and 1957 (26) all saw more violent tornadoes than last year. Constructing a climate picture through violent tornado days is more difficult than overall or significant tornado days due to the considerably smaller data set.
Tampa BayIn Florida, measured in frequency of tornadoes for every 10,000 square miles, the coast between Tampa Bay and Fort Myers has a particularly high incidence, as do the western panhandle and parts of the Atlantic Coast.
While it is not an official designation, states most commonly included are Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, and South Dakota. While not geographically part of tornado alley, Florida sees more tornados than any other state, especially when accounting for how large the state is.
The main reason Tampa, Florida, gets so many tornadoes is because of the tropical climate and the frequency of big storms. It's connected to the Gulf of Mexico via a natural harbor, so it receives a larger number of storms than the rest of Florida.
Tornado alley is typically identified as including parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Ohio.
Florida Tornado Index County RankRankTornado Index ▼County / Population1.316.32Hillsborough, FL / 1,279,6682.283.56Pinellas, FL / 925,0303.267.22Manatee, FL / 335,8404.254.04Orange, FL / 1,200,24163 more rows
On February 21–23, 1998, a devastating tornado outbreak affected portions of the Southeastern United States, primarily the U.S. state of Florida. Sometimes known as the Night of the Tornadoes, it was the deadliest tornado event in Florida history.
Florida does get tornadoes. In fact, in terms of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles, Florida has more tornadoes than any other state. Tornadoes are born from thunderstorms. During Florida's storm season, thunderstorms are pretty common across the state, making it a fertile place for tornadoes.
When is Florida's Tornado Season? Tornadoes in Florida can form in a variety of ways, and in all seasons. However, many of Florida's tornadoes occur in the Spring and Summer months. Summer season tornadoes (June-September) typically occur along strong sea breeze boundary collisions, as well as from tropical cyclones.
But contrary to some people's beliefs, snow in Florida is not as rare as you might think. It is possible in far northern sections of the Peninsula and the Florida Panhandle, the NWS said. But for most of the Peninsula, especially Central and South Florida, it is a sporadic event.
Most tornadoes are found in the Great Plains of the central United States – an ideal environment for the formation of severe thunderstorms. In this area, known as Tornado Alley, storms are caused when dry cold air moving south from Canada meets warm moist air traveling north from the Gulf of Mexico.
In Tornado Alley, warm, humid air from the equator meets cool to cold, dry air from Canada and the Rocky Mountains. This creates an ideal environment for tornadoes to form within developed thunderstorms and super cells.
The United States has the most tornadoes of any country, as well as the strongest and most violent tornadoes. A large portion of these tornadoes form in an area of the central United States popularly known as Tornado Alley.
Four of the top-5 overall violent tornado states — Iowa, Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas — see a strong majority of their violent tornadoes on days with two or less.
All but two of the Pennsylvania violent tornadoes were associated with the unusual outbreak of May 31, 1985 that dropped seven violent tornadoes on Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. Two other incidents of one violent tornado have impacted that state.
Looking at the maximum number of violent tornado strikes during a given event with three or more such tornadoes, there was a range from 11 in Alabama (April 2011) and Kentucky (April 1974) to one in a number of states. Indiana (nine in April 1974) and Pennsylvania (seven in May 1985) round out the top-4 of this grouping, ...
The Carolinas, and to a lesser extent as far north as near Washington, D.C., fall in a fairly active tornado region. A number of both larger outbreaks including multiple violent tornadoes and individual violent tornado events have impacted South Carolina and North Carolina.