January Tornado Risk
weather.com
30-year average number of tornadoes through 2011: 27
What is the peak month for tornadoes where you live? In the slideshow above, our Severe Weather Expert Dr. Greg Forbes has provided the month-by-month analysis of where and when the chances for tornadoes are highest along with the 30-year average number of tornadoes for each month.
As you click through the maps, you will see that the risk of tornadoes is mainly confined to the South during the first two months of the year. The South then typically sees its greatest threat of tornadoes as we head into the months of March and April.
From April through June, the biggest tornado threat shifts to the Plains, Upper Midwest and Great Lakes as the jet stream retreats northward with time. The main tornado risk then stays along the northern tier of the country through much of the summer, however tropical storms and hurricanes can increase the threat in the South as they move inland.
As we head into the months of November and December, the greatest chance of tornadoes moves back to the South.
(MORE: Top 10 Worst Tornado Outbreaks | Top 10 Worst Tornadoes)
PHOTOS: iWitness Weather Tornadoes
Canon City, Colorado
iWitness weather user Sawyer James Perry snapped this photo in the Spring of 2012. It's a great illustration of the height of tornadoes. Note the debris field in the bottom third of the photo. The funnel cloud itself rises thousands of feet in the air. (iWitness weather user: Sawyer James Perry)
