Tennessee Tornado Climate: A Comparison of Three Cities

Abstract

Las Características de frecuencia Tornado y la vulnerabilidad humana se evalúan radio de 100 km de las tres principales ciudades de Tennessee (Nashville, Memphis y Knoxville) entre 1950 y 2013. Centrándose en las ciudades y sus alrededores proporciona información sobre las características de tornado en diferentes partes longitudinales del estado y al mismo tiempo disminuyendo el sesgo debido a los tornados declaradas de menos en las zonas rurales. Nashville reportó el mayor número de tornados entre 1950 y 2013 (426), seguido de Memphis (390), y Knoxville (176). Los tornados de Knoxville y Nashville ocurrieron en menos días, mientras que los tornados de Memphis fueron repartidos en más días de tornado. La primavera fue la temporada más activa de tornados, pero Memphis todavía experimentó aproximadamente el 25 por ciento de los tornados en el invierno, una estación propensa a tornados nocturnos. Memphis también promedio la mayoría de las muertes relacionadas con tornados (cuatro por año). Futuro trabajo debe investigar si los factores sociales son la causa principal del aumento de la vulnerabilidad en Memphis, o si el mayor número de días de tornado, especial-mente durante el invierno, desempeña un papel en el aumento de las muertes visto allí. La aparición de más tornados por un menor número de días y el aumento de la actividad de invierno puede afectar a la preparación y la respuesta humana.

A dasymetric method to spatially apportion tornado casualty counts

“…In the SPC tornado database, there are 1137 tornado paths that intersect Tennessee throughout the study period. Tennessee is chosen as the first case because of recent interest in Brown et al (2016). Of these tornadoes, 94 resulted in deaths, with the average number by county as 2.9, a minimum of 0 and maximum of 20 ( Figure 9).…”

Public understanding of local tornado characteristics and perceived protection from land-surface features in Tennessee, USA

“…The seasonality of tornadoes for each region is shown in Fig 2. Brown et al [15] have previously shown these three areas experience peaks and minimums of activity at similar times of year. The most active month for all regions in the study period was April, although it was tied with May in the eastern region and June in the western region.…”

“…Participants were confident tornadoes occur in the spring. There seemed to be a lack of understanding surrounding tornado activity during other warm months, and the secondary peak of tornadoes seen in Tennessee [15] and across the SEUS in the cooler months was not well known. This is concerning because if a resident believes tornadoes do not happen at a particular time it may affect their likelihood to receive or respond to a tornado warning, and fall (September-October-November) tornado activity has increased over time [3].…”

“…We compare survey responses to climatological data, and assess relationships between beliefs, geography, and demographic characteristics. We expect to find differences between the three regions of Tennessee because of the great variability in tornado climatology across the state, notably the lessened tornado frequency in East Tennessee [15], and the proximity to various land-surface types that may influence public perceptions, for example, the Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee and Mississippi River in West Tennessee.…”

A dasymetric method to apportion tornado casualty counts spatially

“…In the SPC tornado database there are 1,107 tornado paths that intersect Tennessee throughout the study period. Tennessee is chosen as the first case because of recent interest in Brown et al [21]. Of these tornadoes, 91 resulted in deaths, with the average number by county as 2.8, a minimum of 0 and maximum of 20 (Fig.…”