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2008

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A Record Year For Twisters?

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 Jeremiah 51: 1-2

Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I will raise up against Babylon, and against them that dwell in the midst of them that rise up against me, a destroying wind;

And will send unto Babylon fanners, that shall fan her, and shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.

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2008 is shaping up to be a record-breaking year for tornado activity and we're not even half way through the year. The National Weather Service says 2008 is already the deadliest tornado year in the United States since 1998 and seems on track to break the U.S. record for the number of twisters in a year. The record is 1,817 tornadoes and already preliminary figures are tabbed at 1258 through May 30, 2008.

It's not just the number of twisters though that is unusual. This year's storms seem to be unusually powerful. Meteorologists at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman say they cannot explain exactly why 2008 is so unusual in so many ways.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, an extraordinarily powerful E-F5 Fujita scale rated twister flattened the little community of Parkersburg, Iowa. The storm destroyed more than 288 homes in the town of about 1,000 residents and killing at least four people.

The statistics for the U.S. so far for this year stand for the moment at 111 dead, as a result of 30 killer tornadoes and a preliminary count of 1,258 overall for the year. It should be noted however that the preliminary number may involve duplicate sightings so statisticians advise those preliminary numbers will likely go down to an actual count that will probably be tabbed at about 800 through May 30.

The record for the most tornadoes in a year is 1,817 in 2004. In the past 10 years, the 3-year average number of tornadoes has been 1,159. The ten year average is 1270. For more details on statistics visit the NOAA-NWS website for statistics. LINK

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