TrendTrackersNews

There’s growing evidence that “Tornado Alley,” the area of the United States most susceptible to tornadoes, is shifting eastwards, according to a recent study looking at tornado formation patterns. 

“Tornado Alley” is a shorthand term that has typically described the central Plains region of the United States, but according to the study, published in April in the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, parts of the eastern U.S. now face the “greatest tornado threat.” Tornado activity is now much more likely to impact the Midwest and Southeast, the study said. 

The shift has been ongoing since 1951, according to the study, which used information from two different datasets, each spanning 35 years, to determine where and when tornadoes have been forming. The study looked at tornadoes rated F/EF1 or stronger. (A tornado is considered EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale if its wind gusts are estimated at 86-110 mph, based on the amount of damage. The scale runs from EF0 up to EF5 for the most damaging twisters.)

tornado in February, a first for the state. 

Multiple deadly tornadoes have struck the U.S. this year, especially in the Plains and the Midwest. NOAA has confirmed 39 tornado-related deaths this year, including eight in each Texas and Oklahoma. On Wednesday, a 2-year-old was killed when a tornado in Michigan caused a tree to fall on a home. 

Damage was also seen in Maryland Wednesday from what may be the strongest tornado to hit the D.C. metro area since 1996.

CBS News senior weather producer David Parkinson said late May is typically a very busy time for tornadoes, but explained that climate change could be causing severe storms to occur more frequently. 

“We can’t in any way call one tornado something that’s attached to climate change, but we can say the pattern of which things are increasing and getting stronger, that likely is related to a warming world,” Parkinson said. 

More