Is New England seeing more tornadoes?

[Kevan Wagner]

I think that some people here are overlooking New England as a hotbed for tornado's last year.I looked up the number of tornado's in New York last year using the Ncdc storm event database.Last year New York had 14 tornado's including 2 ef2 tornado's one of them killer.The killer storm was on July 8th and killed a 3 month old girl and her mother and the mothers great aunt and the next door neighbor.It was an ef2 was 235 yards wide and had a path length of 2.5 miles.On that day there were 5 tornado's in New york which was under a moderate risk.Also in Pennsylvania there were 5 tornado's 1 ef0,3ef1,1ef2.is New England ready for the big one?Some people tend to think that tornado's can't happen in New England.Worcester county in Massachusetts has had 38 tornado's since 1950.People in new England better wake because it hasn't had a killer tornado since the 1953 Worcester tornado that killed 90 people.

 

[rdale]

To answer the question in your subject line - no, it's not getting more tornadoes. Is it a hotbed? I'd say no to that too.

 

[Kevan Wagner]

One question if you take the Worcester County Ma tornado in 1953 and it touched down in the same area today would there be more death or fewer than the 90 in 1953.It's just a matter of time before the big one happens.I think that people in new England keep forgetting that tornado's do happen in their area.Last year you had an f2 tornado touch down Chelsea in Suffolk County Massachusetts near Boston the first tornado in that county since 1950.it has been 62 years since the Worcester tornado a long time to forget what an f4 tornado can do.

 

[StephenHenry]

Local tornado climatology trends and local human/tornado risk analysis are complex, dynamic problems. I'd be very hesitant to draw any broad characteristics about either.

 

[Kevan Wagner]

I was talking about the Worcester tornado in Massachusetts in 1953.If the same storm and tornado touched down in the same place and followed the same path would the death toll be more than 90 in 1953.I think that people in Massachusetts forget what an f4 tornado can do it has been 62 years since it happened.People who haven't lived through the 1953 storm wouldn't know what to do if it happened again.When it will happen no body knows but we know it will happen again if we give it enough time.It may be in the next 50 to 100 years but it will happen.

 

[Jeff Duda]

I was talking about the Worcester tornado in Massachusetts in 1953.If the same storm and tornado touched down in the same place and followed the same path would the death toll be more than 90 in 1953.I think that people in Massachusetts forget what an f4 tornado can do it has been 62 years since it happened.People who haven't lived through the 1953 storm wouldn't know what to do if it happened again.When it will happen no body knows but we know it will happen again if we give it enough time.It may be in the next 50 to 100 years but it will happen.

Except for that EF3 tornado that struck near Springfield, MA 1 June 2011...

 

[Kevan Wagner]

New york is no stranger to tornado outbreaks.For 3 days straight between April 26-April28 2011 there were 9 tornado's that touched down.2ef1 on April 26,and 1 ef1on April 27.5 tornado's on April 28 4ef1's and 1 ef2.At the end of 2011 there were 23 tornado's in New York.In Pennsylvania there were 6 tornado's on April 28 2011 1 ef0, 3efi and 2ef2.While everyone was talking about the outbreak down south, the next day these tornado's were going on in New England.Pa had 32 tornado's in 2011.

 

[calvinkaskey]

The Albany, NY area and extreme western Ma have seen a few F-4s.

 

[Boris Konon]

The average number of tornadoes in New England per year is 7. NY is 10.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremeevents/images/tornado/ann-avg-torn1991-2010.gif

 

[BK Noonan]

As a storm spotter and chaser from MA I approach the concept of New England tornadoes with first worry and second excitement. Southern New England is such a densely populated area and those who live here I feel do not take warnings seriously. As rare as it may be a violent tornado is bound to happen someday and loss of life and injury could be substantial if it were to occur in the right place. Would I love to see a tornado rip through rural areas in western MA? Sure if damage to homes was minimal and no one was injured. But I cringe to think of another violent one hitting Worcester or any other New England city.