01.02.11
New Year’s Eve Tornado Outbreak
While 2010 had a slow start to the tornado season (see Where Have All The Tornadoes Gone?, Tornado Season So Far…, and Minnesota Leads U.S.; U.S. Back Near Average), it ended with a rare New Year’s Eve tornado outbreak.
40 tornadoes were reported between the morning of the 31st and the morning of the 1st. At least 7 people have died as a result of the twisters in Arkansas and Missouri.
Several of the tornadoes were rated EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, as lift from the big trough, warm, moist air ahead of an arctic cold front, and ample vertical wind shear provided the necessary conditions for strong tornadoes.
The last significant New Year’s Eve tornado outbreak occurred in 1947, when 20 people were killed and over 250 were injured.
So now that the year is over, how did 2010 stack up against the past few years in terms of tornadoes and tornado reports?
Tornado reports (2010 in red, ’05 to ’09 average in gray), from the Storm Prediction Center:
Note the year was below average until mid-July, at which point it fluctuated about the average and then ended just above average, with 1,525 tornado reports.
Tornado reports from ’05 through ’10, including the ’05 to ’09 average, in gray:
2010 was below the previous 5-year minimum until late April.
Adjusted tornado trend and percentiles (adjusted to account for over-reporting; for details on calculation, see SPC site):
The estimated number of tornadoes in 2010 briefly dropped below the 1954 to 2007 minimum, before climbing up to just about the 50th percentile (the median). The year ended with an estimated 1,294 tornadoes.
For more detailed information on the New Year’s Eve 2010 tornado outbreak, check out the summaries/reports/photos from individual National Weather Service offices. Here are a few to get you started: Tulsa OK, St. Louis MO, Little Rock AR, and Jackson MS.
For more, go to the National Weather Service page and click on the area you are interested in.
Tweets that mention Green Sky Chaser » New Year’s Eve Tornado Outbreak -- Topsy.com said,
January 2, 2011 at 3:16 pm
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