Is Tennessee Part Of Tornado Alley Or Not?
I heard a report on the TV news recently about Tennessee being part of tornado alley. They were saying that technically, it's not. But realistically it probably should be. (That report also has some interesting Tennessee tornado facts in it.)
And here's a video report from another local TV station about Tennessee being in 'the new tornado alley'. They also say in a related report that Tennesseans are living in the NEW tornado alley.
So I dug around a little to try and find some stats about Tennessee tornadoes...
TornadoChaser points out that tornado maps differ greatly from source to source. I find that interesting...
I always thought there was a clear-cut area they were talking about whenever you heard mention of 'tornado alley'.
Guess not.
Some consider tornado alley as the area where only the most intense killer tornadoes are likely to occur, looking where F4 and F5 tornadoes have struck in history multiple times. Others draw tornado alley only where tornado frequency is the highest, looking at areas that have recorded multiple tornado touchdowns consistently year after year. Source
A Couple Of Tornado Alley Maps:
Here's a great video explaining where Tornado Alley is, and why it is where it is. [The weather experts happen to mention the fact that the term 'tornado alley' is simply a term coined by the media... there's really not a scientific definition.]
Tennessee Tornado Facts
Tennessee's Strongest & Most Violent Tornadoes (1970-2005)
A Tornado Climatology of Middle Tennessee (1830-2003)
Number of Tornadoes By State For 2008
Middle Tennessee Tornado Database
Tennessee Tornadoes by County (1950-1995)
Tennessee Severe Storms, Tornadoes & Straight-Line Winds
Tennessee Tornadoes (1950-1995)
Very informative article! I believe TN should be included in Tornado Alley. Afterall, some of the most deadly and numerous tornadoes have hit TN in recorded history. Just today Central TN had a whole lot of nasty tornadoes. Looks like everyone in Tornado Alley is in for some difficult weather this spring & summer.