In recent weeks, stormy episodes have been particularly virulent in the United States. While it is only April, more than 500 tornadoes have already been recorded in 2022.
An already very active 2022 season
Several hundred tornadoes have already been observed in the United States since the beginning of this year 2022. Unsurprisingly, it is in the southeastern states that they have been the most numerous. The reports are impressive in some states, such as in Alabama where 75 tornadoes have already been recorded or in Texas where 80 tornadic phenomena have been reported. However, it was in Mississippi that the tornadoes were the most numerous with already 100 phenomena observed in 2022!
Number of tornadoes observed by US states from January 1 to April 19, 2022 – via WCNC Weather
If we look at the precise location of the tornadoes observed since the beginning of 2022, we see that eastern Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama or Georgia have already been very impacted by tornadic phenomena. A little further north, Kentucky is also among the most affected states. The aforementioned states alone have recorded more than 360 tornadoes since the start of 2022, nearly two-thirds of the American total.
Location of tornadoes observed from January 1 to April 18, 2022 in the United States – via NOAA
The graph below shows the extent of tornadic activity compared to normal. As of April 19, 384 tornadoes are recorded on average. Gold, 541 tornadoes have already been observed in 2022 on this date. There is therefore an excess of 157 tornadoes compared to the norm, a notable figure. The small “red peaks” show the occurrence of several tornado outbreaks during the months of March and April, the most impressive of which occurred at the end of March 2022 with 84 tornadoes observed in a single day!
Number of tornadoes in the United States in 2022 (in red) compared to normal (in gray) – via NOAA
Several tornado outbreaks in 2022
A tornado “outbreak” is an episode in which a powerful storm wave generates the formation of multiple tornadoes in one or more states. Since the start of 2022, the deadliest occurred on March 5 in the state of Iowa. No less than 13 tornadoes were reported there during the day, including an EF4 tornado (level 4 on a scale of 5) which was particularly destructive in the Norwalk region! This ravaged several neighborhoods in Macksburg, Norwalk and Newton, causing the death of 6 people.
The Norwalk (Iowa) tornado of March 5, 2022 is the deadliest of this beginning of the year – via ABC News
More than 100 tornadoes were recorded in the United States during the outbreak which occurred during the days of March 21 and 22, 2022. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama were particularly affected. During this episode, a violent EF3 tornado hit the New Orleans metropolitan area crossing densely populated neighborhoods! It had been decades since this sector had experienced such a phenomenon! Apart from the heavy damage, the tornado also caused the death of one person.
Heavy damage after a tornado in New Orleans, Louisiana on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 – via Reuters / Kathleen Flynn
The month of April 2022 has already shown itself to be the witness of several outbreaks of tornadoes, the first at the beginning of the month between Texas and Mississippi and the second at the beginning of the second decade of April in the center and the south of the Great Plains. The photo below shows one of the most aesthetically pleasing tornadoes, captured near Gilmore City, Iowa on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. The strongest tornado touched down in the Salado area of Texas on the same day. With an intensity of EF3, it injured 23 people.
Powerful tornado in Gilmore City, Iowa on Tuesday, April 12, 2022 – photo Jim Tang
Right in the middle of tornado season
In the United States, tornadoes mostly hit the central Great Plains. Commonly called Tornado Alley, this area stretches from Texas to North Dakota. The southeastern states are also very exposed. This tornadic area is nicknamed Dixie Alley. The map below perfectly illustrates the most affected states, stretching from eastern Colorado to Alabama, where an average of at least one tornado is observed per year within a radius of 40 kilometers.
Average number of tornadoes within a 40 km radius in a year – NOAA chart
We have now entered the heart of the tornadic season. In the southeastern coastal states, March has the highest number of tornadoes. In Tornado Alley, the most tornadic months are April and May. The explanation is simple: the conflicts of air masses are particularly important at this season between the last flows of cold air coming from the pole and the increasingly imposing warm air risings coming from Mexico. This results from very virulent storm waves that are prone to tornadoes.
Month of the year in which tornadoes are most frequent in the United States – via WQAD8
For several years, there has been a decrease in the frequency of tornadoes (in blue) west of Tornado Alley, particularly visible in Texas. Conversely, there is a fairly clear increase in their frequency (in red) in the east of Tornado Alley and in particular Dixie Alley (Southeastern States). This means that the area most prone to tornadoes tends to move eastward. This modification is linked to global warming, because the masses of warm air are increasingly present in Texas, so that the cold air tends to slide more towards the east, shifting the zone of the most important thermal conflicts. .
Evolution of the frequency of tornadoes in the southeastern United States – via cincinnati.com
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