Minnesota becomes a tornado state

This year, Minnesota had more tornadoes than any other state. If you aren't familiar with normal tornado distribution patterns, that fact is pretty surprising. It's also more than just a weird, one-time anomaly. Experts say this years' numbers seem to be part of a pattern of tornado activity becoming more common in more northerly places. Perennial champion Texas isn't throwing in the towel—it's been the tornado capital for 7 of the last 10 years—but Minnesota seems to be becoming a part of the "Tornado Alley" states, a big change from past precedent.

Maggie Koerth-Baker is the science editor at BoingBoing.net. She writes a monthly column for The New York Times Magazine and is the author of Before the Lights Go Out, a book about electricity, infrastructure, and the future of energy. You can find Maggie on Twitter and Facebook.

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Cochituate

Kathy- it’s only mid August, I’m sure the final score will be very different than they are now. There will be time to hand out the foam fingers at the end of September or early October.
Anonymous

This article offends me because it implies the existence of anthropogenic climate change, which insults my religious beliefs in my holy right to rape and pillage the Earth without consequence.
masamunecyrus

While Minnesota may have a lot of tornadoes, they must be small. There’s talk of redefining Tornado Alley and splitting it into several different alleys, including Tornado Alley, Dixie Alley (the most dangerous one down in Mississippi), Hoosier Alley, and Carolina Alley. This was decided because when plotting the tracks of all EF3+ tornadoes since 1950, large groups of tornadic activity become very apparent. Minnesota does not have many EF3+ tracks.
http://news.discovery.com/earth/redefining-tornado-alleys.html
- RustyTrawler
  
  But that’s just it, what’s been observed this year does not fit the historic pattern (there have been numerous EF3s and EF4s in the upper midwest).
  
  It remains to be seen whether this is a short-term anomaly or if there is a “northern” alley developing.
Anonymous

Cue the inevitable climate comment…

But in this case, it could be a symptom.
Anonymous

OK, I read that as “tomatoes” at first.
LightningRose

Since tornado alley runs up the middle of the Babble belt, it’s clear that this must be Yahweh’s retribution for Minnesotan’s electing Tim Pawlenty and Michele Bachmann.
Itsumishi

India’s currently suffering one of the worst natural disasters in human history. China’s flooding. Australia suffered it’s worst bushfires in history last year. 2005 had the strongest North Atlantic Tropical Hurricanes in recorded history.

Of course none of these individual events indicate any evidence of climate change…
travtastic

We should all assume this is just some kind of strictly natural, usual cycle.
candycritic

Here in Ottawa Ontario we too are starting to develop a tornado season. Last year my house was hit with a “freak tornado”, and this year we’ve had many bad storms with people spotting funnel clouds. Ottawa is not known for extreme weather, other than snow, so this is not a good thing.
kobrakai

I live in Louisville, KY and we are prone to tornadoes. It doesn’t seem as if we’ve had as many lately but we did get hit pretty hard by Hurricane Ike in 2008. Let that sink in. A hurricane. In Kentucky.
Maurice Reeves

We just had another tornado warning in Pennsylvania last night. They’re becoming more frequent here as well. I’ve lived in PA and we’ve had more warnings in the last five years than in the previous ten years before.
michael holloway

Anon â€¢ #1 said,

“Cue the inevitable climate comment…”

Nope, cue a series of local anecdotal experiences.

:)

My take has always been (since 2005) get ready to experience ‘various’ weather. Change is the key idea.
Ugly Canuck

Literally awesome weather.

Awe \Awe\ ([add]), n. [OE. a[yogh]e, aghe, fr. Icel. agi; akin to AS. ege, [=o]ga, Goth. agis, Dan. ave chastisement, fear, Gr. ‘a`chos pain, distress, from the same root as E. ail. [root]3. Cf. Ugly.]

1. Dread; great fear mingled with respect. [Obs. or Obsolescent] [1913 Webster]

2. The emotion inspired by something dreadful and sublime; an undefined sense of the dreadful. [1913 Webster]

From:
http://www.dictionary.net/awe
Anonymous

Hmmm.

This reminds me a little of Sterling’s “Heavy Weather.”

Hey sci-fi: stop being so prescient!
Ugly Canuck

This is one “American import” which I could do without.