Study Says Tornado Alley is Shifting East, The Tri-State includes 3 of the 7 States Listed

Tornado alley is the area of the U.S. with a disproportionately high frequency of tornadoes.  And it looks like it's shifting further east, which is our direction. 

According to USA Today tornado alley seems to be shifting east. A study was recently conducted, and it found that over the past 40 years researches have found tornadoes have increased over a large area of the Midwest and Southeast, while at the same time the area traditionally known as Tornado Alley (southern Plains) tornadoes have decreased.  This is showing  a shift to the east.

Now the area known as Tornado Alley still remains at the top in number of tornadoes each year, however it looks like from data from 1979-2017 parts of Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, and Tennessee are catching up in numbers.  While the number of tornadoes seen in traditional Tornado Alley seem to be slightly decreasing, it still remains at the top for number of tornadoes annually.  However it seems that the number of tornadoes in other areas is increasing, are closing the gap.  You can see a graphic showing the downward VS upward trend, here.

Now this has been a 40 year study, so no need to panic now thinking "we'll be having more twisters!!"  we've been experiencing more slowly over the last 4 decades, so  I'd say now is as good of a time as any to take a look at tornado safety, make sure your family has a plan of action in place.

Here's a few of the big tips from the American Red Cross, but be sure to check out their full list of tornado preparedness, here!

• Identify the safest place in your home where members of your household and pets will gather during a tornado (a basement, cellar, or interior room on the lowest floor with no windows are the safest areas)
• If you live in a mobile home, choose a safe place in a nearby sturdy building.  Your mobile home park  may have a designated storm shelter, be sure to look into that.
• If you're in a high rise building go to a hallway in the center of the building.
• Listen to local radio station, TV station, or NOAA radio for updates on weather
• Remember watch = a tornado is possible Warning=tornado is occurring, or about to occur, and get to your safe place immediately!