Abstract
Recent studies report changes to the climatology of tornadoes in the United States (US). Changes with the most supporting evidence include an increase in the intra- and inter-annual variability, increased concentration of tornadoes in bigger outbreaks, and a geographic shift of the densest tornado activity away from Tornado Alley in the Great Plains and toward the Great Lakes and Southeast regions of the US. Broad, national-level changes are valuable, but they can mask changes occurring at the state and sub-state levels where mitigation efforts are most effective. Kansas is of interest due to its reputation as a hotbed of tornado activity in Tornado Alley. This research project, therefore, sought to take a small stab at understanding changes of tornado climatology in Kansas during the peak months of April, May, and June across the 1954-2022 period of record. The two main objectives of this project were to document changes to (1) the geographic distribution of tornadoes within Kansas across the period of record and (2) the seasonal and inter-annual distribution of tornado activity in Kansas. Documenting these state-level changes was worthwhile as some changes do not parallel those occurring at the national level.
Faculty Advisor
Todd Moore
Department/Program
Geosciences
Submission Type
in-person poster
Date
4-10-2024
Rights
Copyright the Author(s)
Recommended Citation
Wasinger, John P. and Moore, Todd
(2024)
"Climatology of Tornadoes in Kansas,"
SACAD: John Heinrichs Scholarly and Creative Activity Days: Vol. 2024, Article 24.
Available at:
https://scholars.fhsu.edu/sacad/vol2024/iss2024/24
Included in
Climate Commons, Earth Sciences Commons, Environmental Sciences Commons, Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons