Finger on the Weather

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center has put together a preliminary map of tornado reports by state through May, and it is positively startling.

Kansas recorded far more tornadoes than any other state. Its 132 reports were nearly 30% more than second-place Texas.

But this tornado season wasn’t a one-state wonder. Eight states set records for the highest five-month total in the last 10 years: Kansas, Wyoming, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Kentucky and Virginia.

The numbers are preliminary, and figure to drop as researchers eliminate multiple sightings of the same tornado. But these totals and patterns are still remarkable.