Early spring lacks storms

By Heather Poston
Staff Writer

The United States has experienced a low occurrence of tornadoes so far this year with only 11 recorded, compared to last year's average of 178 recorded in mid-March.

These low numbers of tornadoes have only occurred three times prior to this year. In1951, eight tornadoes occurred; there were four in 1969, and six in 1988. According to Ken Scheeringa, Indiana's state climatologist with the agronomy department at Purdue, the unusually small number of tornadoes that have occurred is due to the lack of collisions between the polar jet stream and the tropical jet stream.

The polar jet stream is a cold front that usually flows south from Canada. This year, it has traveled east and west rather than toward the south, keeping the colder weather in Canada and allowing for a mild winter in the United States.

The tropical jet stream is a warm front that has grown in strength this winter and has steered southern storm systems across Texas and toward the East Coast of the United States, avoiding any collision with colder fronts that cause tornadoes.

Since this phenomenon happens only every 15 to 20 years, it is not something to be worried about.

"It is a rare occurrence to not have a larger number of tornadoes by the end of March, but that doesn't mean that we won't end up having a large number of tornadoes," said Joe Schaefer, director of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

Schaefer said that tornadoes are most likely found lurking in the "tornado alley," which is a section of the United States running from central Texas northward through Oklahoma to South Dakota and North Dakota and as far east as Ohio.

Scheeringa said that the "tornado alley" is where the cold polar air masses tend to collide with the warm, moist air masses of the south.

Although tornadoes have been known to occur more often in states like Texas and Oklahoma, Schaefer said that Indiana has seen its fair share of severe tornadoes.

"There was a huge outbreak of tornadoes on Palm Sunday of 1965," said Schaefer. "These tornadoes moved from northeast Illinois through Chicago and south towards Indianapolis. Indiana is a high climatic area for tornado experiences."

Tornadoes also cause a lot more damage then many may realize. Every year tornadoes kill about 70 people, while injuring another 1,500. The yearly average of 1,200 tornadoes causes approximately $400 million dollars in damage. Tornadoes are most abundant between the months of March and July.

"During the tornado season, we've got to stay alert so that if conditions worsen, we will be aware of it and we can take immediate action to insure our safety," said Schaefer.

Early spring lacks storms

Officials propose regulations

CITY DESK PHONE:
(765) 743-1111 ext. 250

City editor: Matt Poston

To send a letter to the editor, please email opinions@purdueexponent.org