What can you do to protect yourself during a tornado?
The U.S. has more tornadoes a year than any other country and approximately 60 related deaths on average per year. Here are some tips that could keep you safe during twisters.
After a destructive April that made 2020 the deadliest year for tornadoes in nine years, the typical peak of severe weather system ended up being on the calmest in decades.
The National Weather Service's (NWS) Storm Prediction Center (SPC) did not issue a moderate or high tornado risk for the entire month of May.
Evan Bentley, a severe weather meteorologist at the SPC, said last Tuesday on Twitter that he was not able to find any records of such event happening going back through 1995.
"Given the pattern for the next 5 days, 2020 will likely be the first," he tweeted.
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That is a rarity in what is usually one of the most active months in "tornado alley."
The most active areas for tornadoes in May are in the Plains. (Fox News)
In fact, fewer than confirmed 100 tornadoes were reported in the month of May. If that stands, it will be the first time in 50 years.
Bentley said the best he could find was 49 confirmed tornadoes through May 25.
"There have not been less than 100 confirmed tornadoes in any month of May since 1970 (88)," he tweeted.
The SPC database lists 112 preliminary reports of tornadoes, but those are not yet confirmed. There are sometimes overlapping reports from multiple weather office.
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Bentley also said the SPC only issued 10 tornado watches for the entire month of May, the fewest in the digital era dating back to 1970.
"Moral of the story: Don't storm chase in May on even numbered years post 2012," he tweeted.
So what happened?
Tornado activity is most likely when strong long pressure systems pull warm and moist Gulf of Mexico air into the middle of the country.
That, plus the right placement of the jetstream, can cause severe weather outbreaks in the plans in the southeast.
But in 2020, May was largely been dominated by two weather patterns.
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For the first week and a half of the month, there was no low-pressure system in place to bring in that moist gulf air.
On top of that, the jetstream was not in the ideal location. For the following 10 days, an upper-level low-pressure system sat itself on the east.
Instead of feeding tornado alley with warm gulf air, it was pumped with cooler dryer conditions that eliminated tornado development.
The number of tornado reports in April 2020 was above average. The opposite happened in May. (Fox News)
On average, around 1,200 tornadoes are reported in the U.S. every year, more than any country in the world.
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Tornadoes kill about 60 people per year on average, mostly from flying or falling debris. But the actual number can vary from single digits to hundreds, according to the SPC.
