Tornadoes News

November 9, 2016

Extreme Tornado Outbreaks More Common Now

Smoke from Fires Intensifies Tornadoes

Advanced Tornado Warning: From the Birds

Tornado Clusters Linked to Climate Change

Latest Headlines

updated 4:32am EST

Wind Patterns in Lowest Layers of Supercell Storms Key to Predicting Tornadoes

Oct. 13, 2016 — Wind patterns in the lowest 500 meters of the atmosphere near supercell thunderstorms can help predict whether that storm will generate a tornado, ... read more

High-Tech Future Early Warning System for Hurricanes, Tornados and Volcanic Eruptions

Sep. 27, 2016 — The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has been able to detect a gravity wave wafting through space ... read more

Newly Discovered 'Blue Whirl' Fire Tornado Burns Cleaner for Reduced Emissions

Aug. 5, 2016 — Researchers say their discovery of a type of fire tornado they call a 'blue whirl' could lead to beneficial new approaches ... read more

Chile Quake at Epicenter of Expanding Disaster, Failure Data Repository

Apr. 26, 2016 — A research team has made available a comprehensive set of data from the 2010 Chile earthquake to provide researchers, engineers, codemakers and others in quake-prone areas worldwide a powerful tool ... read more

First Building Code Improvements Adopted Based on Joplin Tornado Study

Dec. 7, 2015 — Protecting schools and their associated high-occupancy buildings from the most violent tornadoes is the goal of the first approved building code changes based on a technical ... read more

Predicting Tornadoes Months or Even Seasons in Advance

Sep. 11, 2015 — A new model could help forecast tornado activity months in advance, experts say. It uses large-scale atmospheric variables like those used by weather forecasters. But instead ... read more

Frequency of Tornadoes, Hail Linked to El Niño, La Niña

Mar. 16, 2015 — Climate scientists can spot El Niño and La Niña conditions developing months ahead of time, and they use this knowledge to make more accurate forecasts of droughts, ... read more

Lasting Severe Weather Impact Found in Feathers of Young Birds

Mar. 3, 2015 — While studying a ground-nesting bird population near El Reno, Okla., a research team found that stress during a severe weather outbreak of May 31, 2013, had manifested itself into malformations in ... read more

Hail Storms: Automatic Detection and Measurement of Crop Damage

Oct. 27, 2014 — Using data from an instrument aboard a 3-year-old satellite, a graduate student hopes to develop a system that will automatically detect and measure crop damage caused by hail storms anywhere in the ... read more

Tornadoes Occurring Earlier in 'Tornado Alley'

Sep. 16, 2014 — Peak tornado activity in the central and southern Great Plains is occurring up to two weeks earlier than it did half a ... read more

Tornados, Storms Hit Great Plains

Severe Weather Moves Across Plains States

Watch: Tornadoes, Lightning Storm Slam Kansas and Texas

Raw: Dramatic Video of Twister Over Nebraska

First-of-Its-Kind Tornado Panels Installed in Montgomery Home

July 15, 2015 — A product designed by engineers to help save lives during natural disasters is approved for ... read more

Storm Chasers Take on Supercell Thunderstorms in Bangladesh

Jan. 28, 2015 — This past April, Scott Olson touched down in Bangladesh to become the country’s first known storm chaser. On the other side of the world, back in Oklahoma, meteorologists worked tirelessly to put ... read more

Engineers to Simulate, Model Tornado Winds, Their Effects on Buildings

Aug. 11, 2014 — One researcher reports on his studies of tornado winds, and the findings from simulations and modelling that will help engineers answer questions about how tornadoes interact with buildings. ... read more

Great Walls Could Eliminate Major Tornado Threat in Tornado Alley, Expert Says

June 23, 2014 — Can we eliminate major tornadoes in Tornado Alley? Devastating tornadoes over there start from violent clashes between northbound warm wind and southbound cold wind. If engineers built three ... read more

2013 Tornadoes: Numbers Low, Destruction High

May 28, 2014 — Despite some high profile tornadoes in 2013, scientists are reporting below average numbers of tornadoes. There were 903 tornadoes in the United States, which is below the 10-year annual average of ... read more

Small Changes Could Save Structures, Lives During Tornadoes: Safe Rooms, Quality Garage Doors Critical

May 1, 2014 — Surviving a tornado in a wood-frame residential home is enhanced by an intact roof and standing walls, but light-weight garage doors can be the weak link to allowing high winds and pressure changes ... read more

Multiple Consecutive Days of Tornado Activity Spawn Worst Events

Apr. 30, 2014 — Significant tornado outbreaks and especially strong tornadoes are more likely occur within periods of activity lasting three or more days, according to a tornado expert. An examination of 30 years of ... read more

Use of Media Can Save Lives in Bad Storms

Dec. 30, 2013 — The number and intensity of storms and other extreme weather events are on the increase all over the world. The latest study by the Medical University of Vienna in cooperation with the US Centers for ... read more

Pacific Ocean Temperature Influences Tornado Activity in US

Oct. 17, 2013 — A researcher has found that the temperature of the Pacific Ocean could help scientists predict the type and location of tornado activity in the ... read more

Computer Models of Tornadoes Show Possible Sheltering Region Behind Hills

Oct. 16, 2013 — Three-dimensional computer models of the interaction between tornadoes and hills shows that wind velocities are significantly reduced on the leeward side of hills. The finding applied to hills whose ... read more

Twister History: Model to Correct Tornado Records for Better Risk Assessment

Sep. 12, 2013 — In the wake of deadly tornadoes in Oklahoma, researchers have developed a new statistical model that will help determine whether the risk of tornadoes is increasing and whether they are getting ... read more

Tornadoes Tend Toward Higher Elevations and Cause Greater Damage Moving Uphill

Aug. 27, 2013 — The first field investigations of the effect of terrain elevation changes on tornado path, vortex, strength and damage have yielded valuable information that could help prevent the loss of human life ... read more

NASA Spacecraft Sees Tornado's Destructive Swath

June 6, 2013 — A new image from the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft shows the extent of destruction from the deadly Newcastle-Moore ... read more

Living Through a Tornado Does Not Shake Optimism

Mar. 1, 2013 — Even in the face of a disaster, we remain optimistic about our chances of injury compared to others, according to a new study. Residents of a town struck by a tornado thought their risk of injury ... read more

Study Surveys Impact of Leap Day Harrisburg, Illinois Tornado

Mar. 1, 2013 — On Leap Day last year, the largest natural disaster in Illinois in 2012 devastated a small town in Southern Illinois. Since the Feb. 29 EF-4 level tornado that tore through Harrisburg one year ... read more

NOAA and NASA's Next Generation Weather Satellite May Provide Earlier Warnings

Feb. 28, 2013 — A new satellite that will detect the lightning inside storm clouds may lead to valuable improvements in tornado detection. The GOES-R satellite is currently being built with new technology that may ... read more

2012 Was Warmest and Second Most Extreme Year on Record for the Contiguous U.S.

Jan. 8, 2013 — According to NOAA scientists, 2012 marked the warmest year on record for the contiguous United States with the year consisting of a record warm spring, second warmest summer, fourth warmest winter ... read more

Flesh-Eating Fungus Responsible for Five Deaths in Wake of Massive Tornado

Dec. 14, 2012 — A fast growing, flesh-eating fungus killed five people following a massive tornado that devastated Joplin, Mo., according to two new ... read more

Advanced Tornado/hurricane Shelter Panels from Recycled Materials

Aug. 27, 2012 — Recycled materials may become armor against flying debris: Panels for a new high-tech shelter have passed the National Storm Shelter Association’s tornado threat ... read more

NASA Sees Tropical Storm Debby's Clouds Blanket Florida

June 25, 2012 — Like a white blanket, Tropical Storm Debby's clouds covered the entire state of Florida in a NASA satellite image. Two satellites have captured imagery that shows Tropical Storm Debby has thrown ... read more

Wednesday, July 15, 2015