The Dixie Alley
An increased frequency of strong tornadoes in the Southeastern US
Historical Account
People who lived in the Southeastern US understood that tornadoes were a fairly common occurrence. In April 1936 a line of strong storms moved across the Southeast while spawning strong tornadoes. Tupelo, MS was struck by an estimated EF5 tornado. At least 216 people were killed and 700 injured. In the Appleton, TN area a 6 years old boy saw a strong squall line that was carrying debris. His father and mother took him into the root cellar at the house for protection. He said that people in the community found documents from Tupelo after the storm passed. Tupelo is 100 miles away from this community. The Huntsville National Weather Service also documented accounts of Tupelo debris found in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. Account told by Fred B. Newton 1930-2015.
After the super cell outbreak , April 27, 2011 in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee a research team led by John Knox, University of Georgia , scoured social media for found items after the storms. The team documented 1700 "found items" and created a database of 934 items with entry and exit points for 15 tornadoes. Using the information from social media a photograph lofted by a tornado from Phil Campbell, AL was found in Lenior City, TN, a debris record of 353 km (219 miles).
Dixie Alley and Climate Change
Current research indicates that due to climate change the frequency of tornadic activity is increasing within the Dixie Alley while decreasing in the infamous Tornado Alley. Tornadoes in this region can be spawned year round and often occur at night when people are asleep. The Dixie Alley sadly has a higher death rate. Part of the increased death rate is due to terrain obscuring funnel clouds, rain wrapped tornadoes and rising population.
Dixie Alley by Enhanced Fujita Level Tornadoes.
Research indicates that there seems to be a shifting of storm tracks by according to the tornado’s occurrence in El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) Phase. Due to this research, strong storms (EF4-EF5) were given a ten mile buffer.
Research conducted by students at Mahaffey Middle School (2000-2003) indicated a possible pattern of storm track shifts due to the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). These storms seemed to shift 10 miles north/south due to ENSO. This became the premise for 10 mile buffer for EF4-EF5 storms
Density Study of the Dixie Alley
Tornadoes are an elusive phenomena in the vast sea of air that we call our atmosphere. Their occurrence are very localized but can generation extremely strong winds. Where are there a higher frequency of tornadoes? Record keeping of tornadoes in the US began in 1950 and historical documents also provide some insight to previous incidences.The fact remains, weather is very complex and unpredictable, The following density maps will attempt to answer some of these questions.
Density of tornadoes in the Dixie Alley Map
Dixie Alley Fatalities by Density
Wall Cloud, EF3 Tornado, April 2, 2006 Hopkinsville, KY
EF3 Tornadoes with a 6 mile buffer.
Buffer was created to allow for ENSO shifting of up to 6 miles from actual storm path.
EF2 Storm tracks by 6 mile buffer.
1950- 2017 Tornado locations for the 48 states.
NOAA Damage Assesment Toolkit https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/StormDamage/DamageViewer/
Adjust dates if needed.
