Dozens of tornadoes caused damage this week, destroying communities from Oklahoma to Michigan, leaving behind crumpled mobile homes, damaged roofs and broken and shredded trees.
This destruction suggests that there will be an unusually large number of twisters and that May will begin as if April ended.
“We, the members of the Michigan Storm Chasers, were just talking about how crazy the last month has been, and then yesterday took a turn for the worse,” he said.At least four tornadoes have struck the state. Alex Melendez said Wednesday morning, hours after the incident.
“We also hope that Prime Minister Theresa May does not continue with such violent behavior,” Melendez said.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center’s storm bulletin, 381 tornadoes were reported across the United States in April, but that number is likely to be revised downward slightly after an investigation.
This is approximately twice the long-term average number of tornadoes for the month.
It was also the third-most tornadoes counted in April dating back to 1950, said Harold Brooks, a senior scientist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory.
The only months with more tornado activity were April 2011 and April 1974.
Here’s what to do when a tornado warning is issued:How to reduce the risk of injury at home, outdoors and in the car
Iowa had the most tornadoes in the U.S. in April.
Among the states with the most tornado activity reported in April, Iowa stands out with 56 tornado reports. Craig Cogill, a meteorologist who tracks the state’s tornado numbers at the National Weather Service office in Des Moines, said the number is “a little on the high side” and that storm reports will be verified in the coming weeks. He said that number will likely increase as time goes on. It will drop to the low 40s.
Even if the final number were closer to 40, it would still be a record, Cogill said. The previous high for April was 40, set in 2001. The annual average for the state is about 50.
Cogill said one death was reported in April during the outbreak on the 26th.
Other states with dozens of tornadoes in April were Nebraska (47), Kansas (38), Oklahoma (38), and Missouri (33). Kentucky and Texas each had 22 cases.
Which state had the most tornadoes in May?
Just one week into May, storm center data shows there have been 32 preliminary tornado reports in Texas (versus the monthly average of 38 in May) and 10 in Michigan (average for the month of May: 38). The average is 3 cases).
Tuesday’s Michigan tornado destroyed a mobile home and caused major damage to a FedEx delivery facility near Portage, Michigan.
Why is tornado activity increasing?
Brooks said all the right pieces are in place. The active pattern of atmospheric waves passing 30,000 feet above the ground was “holding everything together.”
Brooks and Cogill note that patterns vary from year to year.
“Depending on the year, it can be more active in the south or north,” Cogill said. Iowa is in a “very active pattern” this year.
“The jet stream is approaching and more storms are forming,” Cogill said. “There’s a good flow of moisture coming in from the Gulf of Mexico, and it’s interacting with the jet stream to create tornadoes like we’ve seen before.”
The national average number of tornadoes in May was 275, and the storm center has collected about 90 reports so far.
Brooks said it remains to be seen what the rest of May will look like because long-range spring activity is difficult to predict.
Dinah Boyles Pulver covers climate and the environment for USA TODAY. Contact us at dpulver@gannett.com or @dinahvp.
