News posts and educational content about tornadoes.
Most common in the U.S. in the Great Plains and the Southeast, tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent weather events. Since thunderstorms always precede tornadoes, thunderstorms are prevalent in the same regions as tornadoes.
A squall line is a line of strong and severe thunderstorms common in the spring and summer and often produce strong winds, lightning, heavy rain, and hail. Squall lines often form ahead of cold fronts but can develop independently if several strong thunderstorms merge.
As winter changes to spring, meteorologists switch focus from winter storms to severe weather. Ramping up first in the Deep South in March, tornado season reaches its peak in ‘Tornado Alley’ in May and June.
Do you know when tornado season starts in the United States? Many people don’t realize that tornadoes can occur at just about any time of the year, especially across the southern Plains and Southeastern United States.
On May 31, 2013, a tornado struck El Reno, Oklahoma. This tornado was historic because it was the widest tornado and had some of the fastest ground wind speeds ever recorded by mobile radar – 296 mph. The El Reno tornado didn’t cause significant damage, as it passed through mainly rural areas around El Reno and west of Oklahoma City. However, the loss of life, including three experienced storm chasers’ deaths, shocked the meteorological community.
On March 21-23, 2022, a multi-day severe weather and tornado outbreak with 78 confirmed tornadoes struck portions of the Deep South. The most affected areas were Texas and the eastern New Orleans metropolitan area northward into Mississippi.
Friday, December 10, 2021, will be a day that residents of four US states will remember for a very long time. Spurred by a strong winter cold front pushing through the region, severe weather and tornadoes ripped through the Mississippi Valley and mid-South, including a long-track tornado referred to as the “Quad State Tornado.”
