Mike Smith [ blog ] | [ twitter ] has a post on the Survive-A-Storm blog about the deadliest tornadoes in US history. Just two of the deadliest tornadoes are in what is commonly considered “Tornado Alley.” #6, Woodward, OK 1947 and #7, Joplin, MO 2011 are the only ones in the Plains states, the rest are in the South.
There are a lot of factors:
- Tornadoes were more deadly in the days before warnings
- Tornadoes in the South typically occur at night
- Extensive forests in the South make early visual sighting of tornadoes difficult
- In “Tornado Alley” fewer tornadoes go unobserved because of extensive spotter/chaser activity and TV coverage
[ More here ]