Tornadoes Behaving Badly: Mysterious, Ominous New Twists
Outsized outbreaks, twisted sisters, and more nighttime havoc create new threats way beyond Tornado Alley
The much-anticipated Twisters movie is expected to be a summer blockbuster. The film follows an intrepid band of storm chasers as they track powerful twin tornadoes that threaten to destroy a small town in Ohio.
But the scenario isn’t just movie magic: A storm system really can eject multiple tornadoes simultaneously. And some scientists are warning this is just one sign of more dangerous twisters to come — not only in states accustomed to tornado activity, but also in highly populated areas such as Chicago, Atlanta, and Washington DC.
According to a preliminary count from the National Center for Environmental Information (NCEI), in the first four months of this year, 547 tornadoes touched down in the US. The NCEI has not yet confirmed May’s totals, but more than 500 twisters were preliminarily reported — nearly twice the national average of 268 for that month.
