Editor’s Note : A deadly tornado struck Mississippi in the evening hours last Friday. This December 2021 story explores why tornadoes that strike at night and in the Southeast are often more fatal.
Nighttime tornadoes can be particularly deadly—and not just because more people are likely to be asleep. To break down the reasons—and explain why the Southeast is particularly prone to nocturnal storms—Scientific American spoke with Stephen Strader, an atmospheric scientist and hazards geographer at Villanova University, where he studies how the risks of tornadoes and other severe weather overlap with social vulnerability.
You are updating research done in 2008 that looked at the differences in fatality rates between daytime and nighttime tornadoes. That study found that death rates for the latter had not declined as fast as those for tornadoes overall. Does that still hold true?
Lived in Ky in tornado alley. I never would want to live in a tornado area w/o a basement. No thanks.
SciFiAm logic - 'humans living on earth make it a hotspot for deaths.' or 'San Francisco continues to defy its inevitable destruction by remaining in a dangerous seismic zone.' Now do flood zones, tsunami zones, deserts, cold climates, etc.
Their thoughts and prayers aren't enough of protection?
Wow.....this is a 'scientific opinion' Under the heading of 'No Shit Sherlock'.....
Tornadoes at night just sounds hellishly dangerous and scary.
Legislation should be passed that requires mobile home parks to have a community shelter infrastructure to be run.