Dust Bowl era and Tornadoes

[Dan Cook]

Does anyone have any stats on tornadoes during the dust bowl? Whether or not it led to an increase or decrease in tornadoes?

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Well, according to this, and considering the duststorms began around 1931, peaked in 1937, and abated by 1940, I don't see much correlation. But it's really, really hard to interpret this... the Great Depression had a big impact on society and infrastructure, and probably influenced tornado reporting in some unmeasurable way. Not that any real reporting system was in place (especially in remote areas) -- it's best to squint when looking at those older tornado numbers and make them a bit fuzzy.

Tim

 

[Bill Tabor]

Originally posted by Tim Vasquez
Well, according to this, and considering the duststorms began around 1931, peaked in 1937, and abated by 1940, I don't see much correlation. But it's really, really hard to interpret this... the Great Depression had a big impact on society and infrastructure, and probably influenced tornado reporting in some unmeasurable way. Not that any real reporting system was in place (especially in remote areas) -- it's best to squint when looking at those older tornado numbers and make them a bit fuzzy.

Tim

That increase is probably due to the formation of SELS see:
http://webserv.chatsystems.com/~doswell/im...S_Tornadoes.JPG

 

[Perry Williams]

All I know is that a few of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history occurred during the dust bowl......especially here in the southeast.

March 21, 1932...... deadliest tornado outbreak in Alabama history; 268 died there.....a total death toll over 330. Possibly a dozen violent tornadoes in AL/ MS/TN/GA

April 5-6, 1936.......vicious F5 tornado near Tupelo, MS killed 216 on Sunday evening. After other strong to violent twisters tore across northern Alabama and southern Tennessee during the night, a large breakfast time (8:30 a.m.) F4 struck Gainesville, Georgia killing 203 (by far the deadliest tornado in Georgia history). This outbreak occurred only four days after another killer outbreak on April 2 (F4's at Cordele, GA and Greensboro, NC; the Georgia tornado at 7:30 in the morning).

 

[Tim Vasquez]

Just off the cuff, I'd say:

(1) The population density increased rapidly over the history of the U.S., making the risk worse with time.

(2) After WWII came a period of economic and scientific prosperity, which drastically reduced the risk. People lived in sturdier buildings, building codes were improved, warnings started to trickle out, and TV/radios were becoming widespread.

It seems to be pretty easy to make a case that the 1930s-1940s was caught in the middle, and might have been the most vulnerable period for tornado deaths.

Tim