WNKY News 40 Weather Report: Tornado risks shift east

Tornadoes Becoming More Frequent Across Dixie Alley

A trend that’s been studied over the last few decades shows that there has been an increasing number of severe storm events across the southeast. What does this mean for our area? News 40 Meteorologist Darius Mack spoke with Dr. Greg Goodrich, associate professor at Western Kentucky University about the latest trends.  

“The two key ingredients for severe weather are temperature and humidity. And so over the last couple of decades, our temperature has been gradually increasing. But the humidity is also going up as well. And a big part of that is the Gulf of Mexico. Temperatures in the ocean there have warmed. And so that in turn leads to a greater amount of humidity in the atmosphere. And those two things together are the fuel for severe weather and ultimately, tornadoes.”  Said Goodrich. 

Data suggests that tornadoes are becoming more frequent in Kentucky and the Tennessee valley regions, this is part of “Dixie Alley”. 

“What’s interesting is that while the [overall] number of tornadoes hasn’t changed over the last several decades. Where these tornadoes occur is changing.” – Goodrich 

Dr. Goodrich mentioned that Historically, the greatest number of tornadoes has been in tornado alley, where there’s been a decrease in the number of tornadoes. However, Dixie alley is seeing an increase in the number of tornado and severe storm events.   

That’s something that we’re too familiar with here, with most storm risks occurring during the spring and summertime, but as we know, severe weather can happen at any time of the year. From the deadly December 2021 tornadoes and the severe weather outbreak on Memorial Day weekend 2024. 

Dr. Goodrich Says, The number of tornado days nationwide  are decreasing, however, on average the total number of storms remain the same, which means there’s more severe weather outbreaks in fewer days. 

“You get these days where you get a lot of tornadoes in one area, and that’s the risk obviously.”- Goodrich.