Supercell Tornado Activity Expected to Significantly Shift in Location, Intensity by 2100

AP News has written an article discussing the unusually destructive tornado that hit west-central Mississippi, especially the town of Rolling Fork where over a dozen people were killed, and new research suggesting that these rare, intense supercell storms will appear more often in the future. The study “predicts a nationwide 6.6 [percent] increase in supercells and a 25.8 [percent] jump in the area and time” supercells stay over land and cause destruction by the year 2100.

What’s more important is the regional data, as specific regions of the country, especially the South, are expected to see a much higher increase. Overall, the regions where supercells form are expected to shift over the same time frame, moving away from the Midwest and across the Mississippi River to the East. Furthermore, supercell activity is expected to begin earlier in the year, around March and April, and, on a daily basis, hit peak activity closer to nighttime hours. All these conditions combine to create a situation where regions’ populations will have to rapidly learn how to adapt to new, more deadly tornado behaviors. Read more at AP News.