Other tornadoes were reported in Colorado and North Carolina (June 22) Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Colorado (June 23) Minnesota and Iowa (June 24) and Indiana and Kentucky (June 25). Damage reports show 29 structures destroyed and 34 damaged. Matador is a town of less than 600 people. It led to four deaths, 15 injuries and the destruction of numerous homes and businesses. One of the biggest tornadoes was a high-end EF-3 twister that hit western Matador, Texas, on June 21. Nearly 70 tornadoes occurred and were exacerbated by the extreme heat, which also caused recovery issues as power was knocked out across the region. Nighttime tornadoes kill twice as many people as daytime tornadoes annually.Īfter a brief break from the previous round of severe storm systems, many of the same regions were hit again. By 2010-2020 (the last period included in the study), the split was much closer to 50/50.

Between 1880-1890, approximately 30% of tornado fatalities occurred at night. Since 1880, the percentage of fatalities during daytime tornadoes has decreased by 20%, while the percentage of fatalities during nighttime tornadoes has increased by the same amount. During a typical El Niño season, the risk to the traditional tornado alley – through the central Plains and lower Midwestern states – switches to Florida, Texas and the West Coast. A second factor causing tornadoes has been unseasonably and unusually warm water in the Gulf of Mexico. While we’re no longer officially in a La Niña season, the effects of it are lingering, causing severe storms. This helps investigators estimate the highest approximate wind speed that was sustained for at least a three-second gust. Scales are determined by the NWS after a tornado based on the amount of damage viewed on the ground. Tornadoes are measured using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates them from EF-0 to EF-5. The NWS defines tornadoes as “a violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm.” Any thunderstorm can develop a tornado, but the most severe twisters are created inside supercell thunderstorms, defined by a rotating updraft. (Source: Alabama Governor Kay Ivey via Twitter) Tornadoes will be listed in the Impact section in reverse date, chronological order. This profile will be maintained throughout 2023, focusing on the most impactful tornadoes for marginalized and at-risk populations. Just 1 in 1,100 tornadoes cover more than 100 miles.” The 2023 tornadoes have regularly exceeded the average length. Less than 1 percent of tornadoes in the United States travel more than 50 miles, according to a Post analysis of NWS data recorded between 19. This is already three times higher than 2022.Īccording to The Washington Post, “approximately 67,000 tornadoes have touched down in the United States since 1950, with an average path of under four miles. With almost 75, this year is already within the top 10 for deaths. In 2011, 553 people died in tornadoes, many in Joplin, Missouri.

When looking at fatalities, 2023 is stacking up to be one of the highest on record for the U.S. More than half of the mainland states have experienced tornadoes, from California to Delaware and from Wisconsin to Texas. There have been at least 134 EFU tornadoes, 232 EF-0, 324 EF-1, 110 EF-2, 25 EF-3 and two EF-4 tornadoes as of July 5. June exceeded the average of deaths for the month after the storms on June 15. March was the fifth-highest on record, and the fifth consecutive year with a violent tornado, tying the record from 1963 to 1967. Combined, January and February were the fourth-most active months on record. February’s tornado total is one of the highest in recent years and the 10 th most active on record. January 2023’s total is the second-highest on record. The first three months of 2023 exceeded the average, but April and May were below average. This total does not include all the tornadoes, as some still are in the investigative stages.Īccording to research from the National Centers for Environmental Information, from 1991–2020, there was an average of 39.4 tornadoes in January (with an average of 2.2 fatalities), 36.1 in February (with an average of 9.4 fatalities), 80.1 in March (with 8.1 fatalities on average), 182.4 tornadoes in April (with an average of 22.5 fatalities), 264.8 in May (with an average of 16 fatalities) and 212.6 in June (with an average of 1.8 fatalities).

There were 128 in January, 56 in February, 189 confirmed in March, 146 in April, 125 in May, 170 in June and seven so far in July. The 2023 tornado season has been busy, with at least 995 preliminary reports of tornadoes and 827 tornadoes already confirmed in 2023 within the U.S.

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