We're not in Kansas anymore...

We all know the quote from The Wizard of Oz. If you remember, a tornado hit Dorothy's house, bringing the main character to Oz while landing on the Wicked Witch of the East. One of the most recognized movies in history, The Wizard of Oz showed the power a tornado can have on homes throughout the Great Plains. Years later, Twister came to the big screen, bringing tornado research to the forefront of American cinema. Based on research from NOAA's VORTEX project, Twister showed a team of storm chasers in the Midwest trying to gather data from the center of a tornado. While Twister showed one way to research tornado structure, many scientists use data collected from damage after the storm to gather information about tornado behavior.

 

The United States experiences more tornadoes than any other country in the world. Because of this, the United States keeps the most comprehensive list of tornado records in existence. The dataset includes information such as path length, path width, magnitude, date, and location. Using this data, we are able to gain insight into the behavior of tornadoes, including where they occur most often, where the strongest tornadoes have hit, and where tornado casualties happen. This allows us to inform the public on the dangers associated with tornadoes and educate people on what to expect seasonally.

More research is needed on tornadoes. While we have a good understanding of what is needed for tornadoes to spawn, there are still many questions to answer about tornado behavior. The earth is warming and tornadoes may be more violent in the future. How much stronger and how many more people they may affect is important. Linking tornadoes, casualties, and climate change will allow us to answer questions that can educate people on where future tornado casualties are most likely to occur.