A shift in Tornado Alley: More frequent tornadoes are occurring further east

If you feel like we've had more tornadoes in this part of the country in recent years, you're not wrong. There has been an eastward shift in where tornadoes occur in the United States. When you think of tornado alley, your mind likely goes to states like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. But in the last 20 to 30 years, data has shown that Tornado Alley has been marching east, with more tornadoes occurring in the South's Dixie Alley and states like Tennessee and Kentucky. But why is that? To be honest, there really isn't a "why" behind the change, but meteorologists have different theories.Warning coordination meteorologist Brandon Peloquin, with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, broke some of those down for us."One reason might be the fact that the plains over the last couple of decades have seen more drought conditions," said Peloquin. "Drought conditions and drier conditions. As we know, moisture is a key component of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. So that might explain the downward trend in traditional Tornado Alley. Meanwhile though, that moisture, it's gotta go somewhere. So that gulf moisture probably has affected more areas in the Mississippi Valley and the Tennessee Valley. And that might be one reason why we are seeing more severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in those areas."Peloquin said though the data focused on the frequency of tornado events, meteorologists will be paying close attention to the strength of tornadoes and storms that occur in these regions as well. Because we live in the Ohio Valley, this weather data impacts and affects us, too. As we go into the more active severe months, you're encouraged to keep this one overarching message in mind."I think the message here is preparedness. The data is pretty clear. There are more severe weather events and tornado events further east of the traditional Tornado Alley and we need to be prepared for an increase in severe weather and maybe other high impact weather events as well such as flooding," Peloquin said.Preparedness in severe weather events means knowing your safety plan for both your home, school and place of work. It's also important to have a way to receive warnings to your phone while on the go. Tornado sirens are designed to be heard by outdoor workers only and should not be relied on as a warning tool.Though tornadoes are increasing in frequency in the east, we don't know much about the frequency of their strength. If the right ingredients are present, though, strong tornadoes will always certainly be a concern.