Ballantyne News
Wednesday, December 6, 2023
  • Login
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • National
  • Politics
  • Ballantyne Businesses
No Result
View All Result
  • Local
  • Opinion
  • National
  • Politics
  • Ballantyne Businesses
No Result
View All Result
Ballantyne News
No Result
View All Result
Home Local

Is Tornado Alley shifting east of the Mississippi River?

Kenneth Halford by Kenneth Halford
May 16, 2022
in Local
0
Is Tornado Alley shifting east of the Mississippi River?
0
SHARES
0
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Tornado Alley is known as being the most active place for large and dangerous tornadoes in the central United States, but that could be changing.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The United States averages over 1,200 tornadoes every year, with many of those hitting Tornado Alley, the central U.S. states where severe weather strikes more than the rest of the country. 

But Tornado Alley could be bigger than you think and may be shifting east. 

🌩️ If you like weather, watch Brad Panovich and the WCNC Charlotte First Warn Weather Team on their YouTube channel, Weather IQ. 🎥

Is Tornado Alley expanding or shifting east? 

Tornadoes can happen any time of year but their frequency increases dramatically during April, May and June. From Texas to South Dakota, this zone is known as Tornado Alley, and it’s infamous for numerous large, long-track tornadoes. However, the number of tornadoes has increased further east, forming a new Tornado Alley that covers a much larger area. 

The U.S. receives more tornadoes than any other country due to its weather patterns. Warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico collides with cold air pushing in from the northwest and warm, dry air from the west. This is a prime setup for widespread severe weather outbreaks. 

Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter

But this pattern is trending further away from the original Tornado Alley.

The reason why

More evidence is needed to say empirically why this shift is happening, but the National Weather Service did say the increases in radar technology and social media have led to more reported tornadoes as well.

RELATED: Tornado safety: What you should do during a tornado warning

“Now that we are in this new social media-driven world, another 10 years of research and data will help us, more accurately decipher why this trend is happening,” Trisha Palmer with the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg said.

However, the recent change could be due to changes in the climate. Widespread droughts to the west and southwest appear to have shifted this pattern further east. The Plains are also drier than they once were, which is limiting the number of historic tornadoes seen in the past.

Since 1979, the amount of favorable tornado days has declined for Texas and part of the original Tornado Alley. Meanwhile, the number of tornado days has shot up east of the Mississippi River. 

The ingredients needed to produce long-lived epic tornadoes are flourishing more and more here in the area of red (see graphic above). This includes Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee. This is the second official Tornado Alley, known as Dixie Alley.

RELATED: Weather IQ: Understanding watches and warnings

This area is responsible for most of the tornado fatalities since 1950, mainly due to a higher population compared to the central U.S. This area also has more nocturnal tornadoes on record. 

There are multiple Tornado Alleys

The Tornado Alley in the middle of America gets all of the recognition and Dixie Alley is up and coming. These two are recognized by the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center. However, there are two more.

These two are unofficial but have been discussed by both organizations mentioned above. Hoosier Alley around Indiana is ranked as the third-most active area for tornadoes, according to the research from Michael Frates. 

Lastly, a smaller area, known as Carolina Alley, was also recognized. The Carolina Alley runs between the Sandhills and Carolina coast. 

As we head into the tornado and severe weather seasons, the National Weather Service asks if you see a tornado or any damage, to report it to them. 

RELATED: Weather IQ: When is Severe Weather Season?

Contact Chris Mulcahy at cmulcahy@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.



Source link

RELATED POSTS

Celebrate Hanukkah in Charlotte with these menorah lightings, meals and a concert

Ballantyne CC golf event raises $100K to fight Melanoma

ShareTweetPin
Kenneth Halford

Kenneth Halford

Related Posts

Celebrate Hanukkah in Charlotte with these menorah lightings, meals and a concert

by Kenneth Halford
November 24, 2023
0

This year, the Jewish Festival of Lights is Dec. 7-15. Make sure to check the RSVP dates — some are...

Ballantyne CC golf event raises $100K to fight Melanoma

by Kenneth Halford
November 22, 2023
0

Golfers took to the links at Ballentyne Country Club Monday to help raise money and fight Melanoma.

Ballantyne’s Hotspot Expands: New Retail and Dining Sensations Coming in 2024!

Ballantyne’s Hotspot Expands: New Retail and Dining Sensations Coming in 2024!

by Kenneth Halford
November 22, 2023
0

The Bowl at Ballantyne™ is buzzing with excitement as Northwood unveils three sensational new additions to its already thriving retail,...

Donate to the Ballantyne Virtual Food Drive

by Kenneth Halford
November 7, 2022
0

Support Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina’s mission to end hunger by joining the Ballantyne Virtual Food Drive.Every $1 donation...

Dinos at 11 Returns to Ballantyne

by Kenneth Halford
November 5, 2022
0

Experience a land of extinct creatures in South Charlotte!Dinos at 11: The Jurassic Encounter returns to Ballantyne for a second...

Next Post
Sock company, Feetures, thriving during pandemic

Sock company, Feetures, thriving during pandemic

Health leaders concerned about declining COVID testing demand

Health leaders concerned about declining COVID testing demand

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECOMMENDED

Celebrate Hanukkah in Charlotte with these menorah lightings, meals and a concert

November 24, 2023

Ballantyne CC golf event raises $100K to fight Melanoma

November 22, 2023
  • 647 Followers
  • 23.9k Followers

MOST VIEWED

  • Donate to the Ballantyne Virtual Food Drive

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Top 10 country clubs in Charlotte, ranked — including pricing data

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Coin dealer Charleston SC

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Charlotte City Council approves rezoning, bringing schools and housing to busy Ballantyne area

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Little Mama’s Italian Kitchen Expanding To South Charlotte

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Stay up-to-date with all the latest news and events in Ballantyne, NC - the vibrant Southside of Charlotte. Discover what's happening in this thriving community and never miss a beat. Get your daily dose of local news and stay connected with Ballantyne NC News.

CATEGORY

  • Ballantyne Apartments
  • Food and Beverage
  • Gastonia
  • Local
  • Services
  • Things to do

SITE LINKS

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
  • Landing Page
  • All Features
  • Get JNews
  • Contact

© 2023 Ballantyne News

No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Homepage Layout 1
    • Homepage Layout 2
  • Politics
  • World
  • Business
  • Science
  • National
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Fashion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Tech
  • Health
  • Food

© 2023 Ballantyne News

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In