00:00If you think you're safe from violent tornadoes because you aren't living in the tornado alley, you could be dangerously wrong.
00:07It's shifting to the east. It looks like we're about to see fewer single tornado days and more days with multiple powerful tornadoes.
00:16And because they're shifting into more populated areas, they could take more lives and ruin more homes.
00:22There isn't enough time to build infrastructure to protect everyone from this fast-moving danger.
00:27So the least you can do to save yourself is learn as much as you can about it.
00:34About 1,200 tornadoes hit the U.S. every year.
00:38You got to thank the unique geography that sets up the perfect conditions for it, especially in spring and summer.
00:44Winds from the Pacific drop moisture over the Rockies and become dry and cool as they move east.
00:51They collide with warm, humid airstreams from the Gulf of Mexico over the flat terrain.
00:56And that's how unstable air and wind shear, which are the perfect conditions for tornadoes, are born.
01:04Historically, tornadoes were most common in tornado alley. This term was first used in the 1950s by two
01:10meteorologists as the title for their research project to study extreme weather in Texas and Oklahoma.
01:17Northeastern Texas and south-central Oklahoma are precisely the areas we think of when we talk about tornado alley.
01:23But in the past 10 years or so, it has shifted eastward by up to 500 miles.
01:29Now, eastern Missouri, Arkansas, western Tennessee, Kentucky, northern Mississippi, and Alabama see more tornadoes.
01:37The storms of early 2023 are great proof that this trend is real.
01:42A violent tornado hit Rolling Fork, Mississippi, and another outbreak caused huge damage in the new tornado alley.
01:49Data from the past two years shows that large tornado outbreaks with multiple twisters from a single weather system are
01:55also moving eastward and becoming more frequent and intense.
02:01The tornado alley is shifting eastward mainly because of supercells. Those strong
02:07thunderstorms with rotating updrafts create new tornadoes.
02:11Supercells form when warm, humid air near the ground interacts with cool, dry air higher up.
02:17You can say that we're living in the middle of a natural experiment.
02:21We see changes in the basic ingredients for severe storms, but we don't know how significant these changes are.
02:29Experts predict that supercell storms will become more frequent in the late winter and early spring and less common in the late summer and fall.
02:37The air in recent years is getting warmer and moister, and the interactions between air masses more and more common.
02:45Experts explain that the atmosphere is becoming more unstable, and the Gulf of Mexico sends more water vapor into the southeastern U.S.
02:52All these factors fuel the storms.
02:55Research also shows that the so-called dry line, which divides the wetter eastern U.S. from the drier western U.S., is shifting eastward, too.
03:05This line has traditionally fallen along the 100th meridian, but has moved about
03:10140 miles east since the late 1800s.
03:13This shift can affect where storms form, as the dry line works as a boundary for convection,
03:18where warm air rises and cold air sinks, fueling storms.
03:24Milder winters we've seen recently also mean more opportunities for unstable air masses to interact and form supercells earlier in the year.
03:33It's tricky to predict how the situation will change and how dangerous it is,
03:37because we don't have that much data on how weathered patterns affect such short-lived events as tornadoes.
03:43The U.S. National Weather Service only began keeping tornado records in 1950, and they didn't catch many tornadoes in remote areas.
03:52Data shows that the number of days with tornadoes each year has decreased,
03:56but there's more tornado activity on those days when they do occur.
04:00The records also show that some years,
04:03tornadoes take the lives of up to 20 people across the U.S., and in other years, they take over a hundred lives.
04:10But now, there are more people living in the paths of tornadoes because the U.S. population has more than doubled since 1950,
04:18and the southeast, where tornado activity could go up, has way more residents now.
04:24Texas and Oklahoma are well-prepared with tornado shelters, but areas in the southeast are less equipped.
04:31Plus, there are many mobile homes in the southeast which are vulnerable to wind storms.
04:37Tornadoes in this region often strike at night, and they are 2.5 times more likely to cause fatalities.
04:44We could possibly have more events like the 2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak.
04:50It hit the southern U.S. and lower Ohio Valley, and over just 15 hours,
04:5687 tornadoes rushed through the area and caused massive trouble.
05:01Fifty-seven people lost their lives across four states and 18 counties, and many others were injured.
05:07The tornadoes were fueled by strong low-pressure systems that brought record warmth.
05:12There were supercells and rotating winds that produced these violent tornadoes.
05:17Early on February 5th, a squall line developed from eastern Texas to Missouri and moved east.
05:24One of the most intense tornadoes traveled 122 miles over two hours.
05:30By the early morning of February 6th, the severe weather threat shifted to the eastern U.S.
05:36It caused wind damage as the cold moved out to the Atlantic, with snow and freezing rain from Iowa to Quebec.
05:43It ruined many homes and even swept some of them from their foundation, made mobile homes fly,
05:49blew many vehicles and tractor trailers off Interstate 40, and threw some cars on trees.
05:55There were wind gusts over 50 miles an hour from Arkansas to Indiana, hail the size of softballs,
06:01toppled trees, and power outages everywhere.
06:04Some areas were flooded because of heavy rains and melting snow.
06:08All this led to over a thousand flight cancellations at Chicago's O'Hare and disruptions at Toronto's airport.
06:16The data from scientists can help new areas of the U.S. prepare for more tornadoes coming their way.
06:22The people in authority will also need to improve community shelters and warning systems and educate the locals on tornado safety.
06:30You can also get prepared by learning three basic rules.
06:33Get in, get down, and cover up.
06:36When you hear the warning for an upcoming tornado, get into the most interior room in your house and stay away from doors and windows.
06:44If you have a basement or an underground tornado shelter, hide there.
06:48If not, just be on the lowest floor possible.
06:51You can use whatever's at hand to protect yourself from debris.
06:55Clothing, pillows, blankets, a mattress, or a bulky table.
06:59Anything will do.
07:01There's a tip that says that the bathroom is the safest place to hide.
07:05It makes sense because those are mostly right in the center of homes.
07:09In March 2023, a man and his girlfriend in Rolling Fork, Mississippi survived a tornado in their bathtub.
07:16It got thrown into the air but landed safely amid the wreckage of their mobile home.
07:21But there's actually nothing extra safe about being in a bathtub with a mattress.
07:26Closets and walk-in showers that are deep inside the building can also offer good protection.
07:31Don't use elevators.
07:33You can get trapped inside if there's a power outage.
07:35Stay in your shelter until you're sure the tornado threat is over.
07:40If you can, listen for updates from the National Weather Service, local radio, or TV.
07:46Multiple tornadoes can hit the same area, so it might not be safe to leave even after one has passed.
07:52When you do leave your shelter, be very careful.
07:54There could be flooding, debris, collapsing buildings, and blocked roads.
07:59Stay away from fallen power lines and puddles with wires in them.
08:02And don't use matches or lighters in case of gas leaks.
08:06Stay away from damaged buildings as they could collapse at any time.
08:11Being in a car during a tornado isn't much safer than being out in the open or in a parking lot.
08:16Many people get injured trying to drive away from storms.
08:20Tornadoes can produce hailstones the size of softballs and can easily smash a windshield.
08:25If you find yourself outside when a tornado hits, try to get inside any building you can find.
08:31If that's not possible, get as low as you can.
08:34Even a ditch or culvert can be safer than your vehicle.
08:38That's it for today.
08:39So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share it with your friends.
08:44Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!
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