20 March 2012
Posted in Tornado Alley 3D

According to Dr. Forbes at Weather.com, Florida is ranked number the one top tornado state. His ranking is based on the states with the highest rate of tornadoes per square mile. The sunshine state has on average 12.3 twisters per 10,000 miles every year. Other states on the list include Kansas, Maryland, Illinois and Mississippi.

What brings Florida to the top of the list?

“Several things contribute to there being a lot of tornadoes in Florida; it’s surrounded by water so they can get tornadoes any month.  Also, Florida is the thunderstorm capital of the United States. It has the most thunderstorms per square mile and some of those storms produce tornadoes,” says Dr. Forbes

Due to Florida’s tendency for hurricanes, tornadoes are formed as they begin to move inland after making initial landfall. With the added threat of the tornadoes during hurricane season Florida is virtually prone to twisters all year round. Tornadoes are a risk close to nine months of the year in Florida because of the combination of tornado season, March to May, and hurricane season, June until the end of November.

What cities are at the top of the list?

Dr. Forbes also ranked the cities with the highest tornado densities. With an average of 7.1 tornadoes per every 1,000 square miles, Clearwater is the top tornado city in the United States. Tampa- St. Petersburg and Melbourne are also ranked among the top 10. Three of the top ten tornado cities in the country are within 100 miles of Orlando! Be sure to have a home emergency supply kit. Some supplies to include in your kit are food, water, batteries, medications, flashlights, glows sticks and a radio.

To learn more about tornadoes and the ability to predict them, don't miss Tornado Alley, premiering March 24 in the Dr. Phillips CineDome.