Tornado Alley
Tornado Alley is a slang term used to refer to a specific area in the American Midwest that has a particularly high probability of tornadoes .
geography
Although tornadoes can be found in all parts of the United States, their frequency is highest in the Great Plains between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians, as well as in Florida . So-called twisters are most common in Texas . The area affected by tornadoes is largest in Florida, but the tornadoes there are usually rather weak and very short-lived. The lowest probability of tornadoes in the United States is in the far west and northwest.
definition
There is no official definition for the term, for example from the National Weather Service of the USA. The content with which the term is filled differs in part, depending on which criteria are applied.
According to the most common definition, Tornado Alley includes the areas where the strongest tornadoes occur. Thus, northern Texas, as well as almost all states to the north, belongs to it. H. Oklahoma , Kansas , Missouri , Nebraska, and South Dakota .
frequency
Another definition does not ask about the strength of individual tornadoes, but about the frequency in relation to other, less severely affected regions. According to this method, Tornado Alley covers an even larger area of influence. In addition to the areas mentioned above, this also includes the entire flatland along the Mississippi River and the Ohio River as well as the lower Missouri Valley and the entire southeastern United States to Florida.
season
The time of year is also important. The greatest frequency of tornadoes, the "tornado season", varies from region to region. In winter , the states in the southeastern United States are particularly hard hit. From March to May the focus moves to the Midwest. Once the temperature peaks in the summer months, the greatest threat lies further north, i.e. H. in the Northern Prairie States. Regardless of this, the Central Plains are basically the area of influence of Tornado Alley all year round, as strong temperature fluctuations are always part of the weather there.
Regional variations
In the southern United States, especially in the lower valley of the Mississippi River and in the upper reaches of the Tennessee River , one speaks of Dixie Alley - an area in which particularly strong tornadoes can occur. In this region, the number of people killed by tornadoes is higher than in the actual Tornado Alley, but this is due to the higher population density.
Effects
In the center of Tornado Alley, certain building regulations are stricter than in other parts of the United States, particularly with regard to the construction of roofs and the connection of houses to their foundations . Other common precautionary measures include building protective cellars and installing tornado sirens. The weather reports in the mass media are also geared towards reporting and protecting against tornadoes.
Individual evidence
- ↑ TORNADO NUMBERS 1950-1994 . Storm Prediction Center . Retrieved April 26, 2007.
- ^ Tornado Climatology . National Climatic Data Center . January 29, 2007. Archived from the original on April 30, 2007. Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
- ↑ This is used extensively by The Weather Channel . Alan Gerard, Gordon, John: Tornado Alley vs. Dixie Alley . National Weather Service. Retrieved April 26, 2007.
