Where The Tornadoes Play Today

Gotta love the weather. That sentiment is shared for only two reasons. It's either great or it's poor. In this case, it could be considered poor.

Tornado weather is never great. However, for those who've been spared the ravages of tornadoes for generations, the truth is, they're coming for you too. And no, there's no secret to tornadoes. They touch down in your area, or they don't. But eventually, they can get even the strangest, remotest of places.

And that's what makes them so dangerously destructive, awestrikingly fascinating, and so thrilling to see. It's their undefinable hold over the human psyche that makes people chase them, clamor for videos of them, and study them. Tornadoes, easily defined as the hand of God, are a weather wonder.

As I sit here and listen to the thunder shaking the world around us, watching the occasional video people posted on Facebook, and contemplating a day avoiding heavy rains, lightning, and the things that give birth to possible tornadoes, I wonder: why have there been so many in my home state? Particularly this year.

TORNADO ALLEY MOVED

For most of the years many of us have been alive, and throughout the famed tornado-based movies, particularly Twister and Twisters, Tornado Alley was an area that included Northern Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Those areas saw the heaviest tornado activity during the season, and were where tornado hunters, storm chasers, scientists, and curious photographers and videographers focused their efforts.

But now, Tornado Alley has up and moved itself somewhere else. Like people in Illinois or California, it decided it was tired of the area it was in, didn't like the habitat, or maybe it hated the politics in that region and headed East. Because that is where it went, eastward.

And nothing could prove the move of the infamous Tornado Alley like data.

People have studied tornado data for years. When data for the years 1951 - 1985 is compared with 1986 - 2020, it reveals that the highest concentration of strong tornadoes has moved. More EF1 or stronger tornadoes are being reported, and Illinois has taken a particularly harsh pounding this year, with more than 221 reported tornadoes.

The shift from the west to the east has also been accompanied by tornado activity earlier in the calendar year, and when it hits, it often clusters into larger outbreaks. Winter tornadoes are becoming more common, or perhaps they could be called snownadoes.

Why has Tornado Alley moved?

There are several contributing factors to Tornado Alley relocating.

• Changes in our atmosphere: The shifts in moisture patterns and jet stream movements are creating more patterns in the Southeast.

• Detection Improvements: The improvements in Doppler radar and the increased population in eastern areas aided in better reporting of activity.

• Climate changes: Warmer temperatures with the altered weather patterns can influence tornado formation and timing.

As Tornado Alley continues to shift Eastward, more tornadoes are striking more populated areas, which increases the risks to property and lives. This is particularly dangerous with storms in the nighttime hours, in areas heavily wooded, or near hilly or valley terrains. People living in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee are now facing tornado threats the way people have historically faced them in the Great Plains.

What We Can All Agree With

When it comes to tornado weather, everyone can agree with the fact that tornadoes are not to be trifled with, toyed with, or taken lightly. In recent storms affecting Illinois, people have been injured, and there have been people lose their lives.

There is no reason to rush toward a tornado unless you're a professional, know what you're doing, and have a safe exit strategy. Even then, things can go horribly wrong in the blink of an eye. As Tornado Alley continues to move, showing us that the patterns indicating climate change are very real, remember that Tornados pose a real threat.

If you see one, you're not in a movie with a stuntperson doing the hard parts. Go the other way, seek shelter, and stay safe above all else.