Volunteers and local residents clear debris after a devastating tornado struck a mobile home on March 16, 2025, in Calera, Alabama. (Photo credit: Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images)
A series of deadly tornadoes, severe dust storms and fast-moving wildfires ravaged several Midwestern and southern US states over the weekend, killing at least 42 people, according to CNN.
Most of the victims were outside the traditional Tornado Alley area, where at least six deaths were reported in Mississippi, as well as three in Arkansas and Alabama. That's in line with long-range forecasters at AccuWeather, who predicted an eastward shift in tornado risk this year.
“Families and businesses in the Mississippi and Tennessee Valleys should prepare for a stormy spring season. This forecast is alarming because more people are at risk than in Tornado Alley,” said AccuWeather Lead Long-Term Tornado Expert Paul Pastelok. “More people live in these valleys, and many families are in vulnerable structures without basements, such as mobile homes.”
What is Tornado Alley?
Tornado Alley is the name of a region that stretches across several south-central states where destructive tornadoes are most likely to occur, AccuWeather reports.
“This area covers much of northern Texas, extending north through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and parts of Louisiana, Iowa, Nebraska and eastern Colorado,” added AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Kottlowski.
However, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this designation can be misleading because tornadoes can occur throughout the United States and the tornado threat varies depending on the time of year and weather conditions.
Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that connect the ground and the base of thunderstorm clouds. Their strength is measured using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which rates the strength of a tornado based on the damage it causes. The highest rating on the scale is EF5, which means “incredible” damage.
Why is the tornado risk shifting east?
In the United States, tornado season typically begins in early March when cold air from Canada collides with warm, moist air from the Gulf.
Pastelok noted that the eastward shift in tornado risk this year is due to a large, stable area of high pressure that is expected to remain over the Southwest this spring, limiting thunderstorm intensity and therefore tornado risk in the Western Plains. Unusually warm Gulf Stream seawater is also expected to have a significant impact on severe weather in the Southeastern states.
Cooler conditions in the Great Lakes region and Northeast are expected to limit the intensity of thunderstorms and tornadoes in northern states early in the spring.
A powerful storm system ripped through much of the central and southern United States on Friday (March 14) and Saturday, with 52 confirmed tornadoes causing widespread dust storms and wildfires. About 1,100 flights were canceled over the two days, and 150 million people faced extreme weather, AccuWeather reported.
Arkansas was hit by two EF4 tornadoes on Friday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), indicating “devastating” damage. It was the first time in more than 25 years that two tornadoes of that strength have hit the state on the same day. One of those tornadoes, which destroyed the town of Diaz, had estimated wind speeds of 190 mph (306 kph), the NWS said.
Meanwhile, winds of 1000 to 1500 mph were recorded in the Southern Plains region on Friday.
Sourse: www.livescience.com
