Experts Predict A Heavier Tornado Season This Year
I don't know about you, but when I meet people that have never been to Oklahoma, they always bring up two things... The Murrah Building bombing in 95 and tornadoes. We're famous for our weather, and it's something every Oklahoman wears with pride. Even though 2020 was a record breaking year in many aspects of daily life, severe weather wasn't a topic of talk.
We totaled 39 total tornadoes in the state last year, and none of them were very big. It may seem weird to hear someone say "Yeah, it was a twister, but a small one" with nonchalance, but that's the truth of it. Especially when you compare the 2019 numbers... 149 torndaoes, 13 of them being day-ruiners for the people in their path. As we now move into Spring, the atmosphere is looking similar to some of the more historic tornado seasons we've ever had, looking almost identical to the weather patterns in 2011... the year an EF5 rolled through Joplin, MO.
What experts can't tell us right now is, we have no idea when the severe weather will start up or exactly how it will impact areas of Oklahoma. The forecast for now shows an increase of tornadoes mostly East of I-35, and more heavily impacting the US out into the Midwest down through the Southeastern states.
"Isn't that good news for us?"
Well, since when has a meteorologist ever gotten the weather right? I'm pretty sure they all aim for "close" because at the end of the day, they have to predict the future, and the future is never concrete with Mother Nature.
If you'd like to read the long, but thorough write up complete with top meteorologists commentary, click here to head over to Accuweather.