Stunning Visualization of 56 Years of Tornadoes in the US

[pokerfan]

It’s a wonder of nature, baby. Using information from data.gov, tech blogger John Nelson has created this spectacular image of tornado paths in the US over a 56 year period. The graphic categorizes the storms by F-scale with the brighter neon lines representing more violent storms.



http://www.universetoday.com/95561/stunning-visualization-of-56-years-of-tornadoes-in-the-us/

[Common Sense Party]

1. One thing they don't show--are tornadoes more common now?

That is, have they been increasing in frequency or intensity over the last 56 years?

The injuries were much worse 40, 50 years ago, it seems. But that may be because of warning systems improving over the past few decades.

On edit:
This study shows the trends in frequency over the last 30-some years:
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/publications/mccarthy/tor30yrs.pdf

[pokerfan]

3. insufficient evidence

according to the 2007 United Nations IPCC report...

However, this increase may be entirely caused by factors unrelated to climate change:

1) Population growth has resulted in more tornadoes being reported.

2) Advances in weather radar, particularly the deployment of about 100 Doppler radars across the U.S. in the mid-1990s, has resulted in a much higher tornado detection rate.

3) Tornado damage surveys have grown more sophisticated over the years. For example, we now commonly classify multiple tornadoes along a damage path that might have been attributed to just one twister in the past.

Given these uncertainties in the tornado data base, it is unknown how the frequency of tornadoes might be changing over time. The "official word" on climate science, the 2007 United Nations IPCC report, stated it thusly: "There is insufficient evidence to determine whether trends exist in small scale phenomena such as tornadoes, hail, lighting, and dust storms."

http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/comment.html?entrynum=910

[longship]

4. Good post!

Thanks, very informative.

[HubertHeaver]

2. I think I see the one that got our barn.

And trees. Left the house undamaged.

[Swede]

5. West Virginia must be doing something right.

[Hestia]

7. DH figures it must be from the Appalachians maybe?

[serqet]

6. so, tornado alley = eastern usa

very interesting! did not realize that the east had so many tornados!

[JBoy]

8. Thankfully none of those storms ever entered Canada!

Phew!