Weather trends show FEWER tornadoes

[Little-Acorn]

This article was written two days before tornadoes hit Oklamoha City and surrounding areas.

And it's still true.

Oklahoma gets lots of tornadoes. Every year. Without exception. Recent events aren't unusual.

And with some 98% of Oklahoma's land surface used for farmland, cow pastures etc., those tornadoes usually come down in empty areas and do little or no damage, even the big ones.

But occasionally they wander into populated areas. On those rare occasions, damage and deaths can be massive.

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Weather Trends Show Fewer Tornadoes - KTUL.com - Tulsa, Oklahoma - News, Weather & Sports

Weather Trends Show Fewer Tornadoes

Posted: May 16, 2013 3:52 PM PDT Updated: May 17, 2013 9:19 AM PDT
Posted by: Jennifer Zeppelin, Chief Meteorologist - email

May typically has been our peak month for tornadoes, but after the warmest year on record followed by an ongoing drought and cooler than normal temperatures - our weather has been anything but normal for the past 12 months.

Meteorologists with the national severe storms laboratory track all the tornado stats for the U.S. and have noticed an interesting trend over the last decade - fewer tornadoes.

From January through early May this year, the U.S. has experienced 240 tornadoes, which is the lowest number recorded in recent years.

What's behind the record low numbers? The drought last year and cold start to 2013 have been the biggest contributing factors to the absence of tornado activity in the United States.

However, even with few tornadoes reported - Oklahoma's 30 year annual average ranks us fourth in the U.S. As for the number of fatalities during that same time frame, Oklahoma also remains one of the highest in country.

So the key is not to let your guard down.

Even though Monster tornadoes like the EF-5 and EF-4 that ripped across our state 14 years ago are very rare, an EF 1 can do some serious damage as we saw earlier this year in Bixby.

 

[waltky]

N'awlins hit by 7 tornadoes...

Dozens injured, thousands without power after seven monster tornadoes wreak havoc in New Orleans
Wednesday 8th February, 2017 - A strong tornado hit New Orleans in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday, overturning cars, destroying homes and injuring several dozen people, some seriously.

According to Gov. John Bel Edwards, seven confirmed tornadoes were recorded in at least seven different parishes - Livingston, Tangipahoa, Orleans, Ascension, Jefferson, St. James and St. Tammany. The tornados damaged dozens of homes and businesses and leaving thousands without power.

According to reports, an estimated 17,000 people are suffering due to loss of power and it could take 3-5 days before power is restored. "But the Lord has blessed us because not a single fatality has been reported or confirmed as this time," Edwards said, despite the massive destruction. Edwards said that a primary search of the disaster area found no one found trapped or injured, but a secondary search was planned to make sure and better assess the damage. He confirmed that by late Tuesday at least 20 injuries were reported, with some being serious.

A state of emergency was declared by the governor, who also took an aerial tour to take stock of the situation. "I am heartbroken to once again see Louisiana families suffering in the wake of devastating tornadoes today," said Gov. Edwards. Adding, “We are working tirelessly to ensure that every citizen affected by this storm receives the resources they need as quickly as possible." Officials have also warned the public of large shards of metal hanging from trees and partially toppled power poles posing a hazard, urging them to steer clear of the destruction. Further, Space agency NASA’s Michoud facility in New Orleans also suffered some damage.

The facility reportedly supports many NASA next generation projects part of the agencies space exploration program, including a heavy-lift rocket, the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft. However, officials confirmed that the deep-space equipment being built there did not appear to be damaged. A number of areas in the facility lost parts of their roof or walls and a building where the rockets were built also suffered some damage. Fortunately, the hardware and tooling used in the Orion and Space Launch System were not damaged.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu said the city suffered "a terrible blow." "We had a very serious tornado touch down in the New Orleans area," the mayor said at a press conference from the scene. "We think it touched down at Chef and Wilson and really crisscrossed Chef Highway as far north as Dwyer Road. There is substantial damage, a lot of property damage across the entire way." “I want to think we've been through many things together, and we will get through this together with prayers," he told reporters.

The National Weather service said in a statement that severe thunderstorms were predicted to continue from the central Gulf Coast region to the Ohio Valley ahead of a strong cold front. The weather service further warned that very large hail, strong winds and tornadoes will be possible in the lower Mississippi River Valley and central Gulf Coast states through Tuesday evening.

Dozens injured thousands without power after seven monster tornadoes wreak havoc in New Orleans

 

[Rob37]

Fewer tornadoes, fewer hurricanes, warm winters... global warming is awesome!!