The truth is that tornadoes are more prevent in Southern States than they were in the past. Why? Are weather patterns changing? Why are they changing? Could it be climate change? Yes.
We are expecting another wet summer here in PA. Some of our apple orchards have bulldozed their orchards & moved north.
All can be tied to climate change.
Those in the South tend to be Republican & hence AGW deniers so they should enjoy this new pattern.
EF1 or higher tornadoes are increasing but the EF scale is based on the amount of property damage. As more yankees flee to the south the escape high taxes or because businesses are fleeing to right to work states, there is more property to be damaged so a tornado that used to go through farm fields and not be counted as an EF1 or higher tornado because it did little property might now hit a subdivision or factory, and be upgraded to EF1 status. In addition, the advent of dopplar radar has improved our ability to detect tornadoes, so that same tornado that used to go through a farm field might never be counted because there was no confirmed report of it and now it gets counted because some dork in a tie sitting a hundred miles away in a TV station can now confirm it.