U.S. tornado count running ahead of average as mid-spring arrives

We're halfway through meteorological spring and the United States is rapidly approaching its historical peak in annual tornado activity.

Based on storm surveys conducted by meteorologists with the National Weather Service, the U.S. has racked up a preliminary count of more than 570 tornadoes between January 1 and April 30. That's a solid beat ahead of where we typically stand by this point in the year.

The vast majority of this year's tornadoes touched down in the mid-Mississippi Valley after repeated rounds of severe thunderstorms blossomed between southern Mississippi and central Illinois. 

Here's a closer look at the hardest-hit areas:

We've seen three EF-4 tornadoes—one in southern Mississippi, two in northeastern Arkansas—with the strongest coming in just below scale-topping EF-5 status with maximum estimated winds of about 190 mph. More than a dozen of this year's twisters left behind EF-3 damage, many of which hit Arkansas and Missouri.

The latest count from the Storm Prediction Center reflects about 615 preliminary tornadoes—which is likely an overcount due to multiple reports coming in for the same storm. Even so, we're outpacing tornado climatology for this point in the year due to several major outbreaks that occurred in March and April. 

Tornado activity across the U.S. ramps up in the early spring and comes to a head around the beginning of June before slowly declining through the summer as the jet stream pulls north toward Canada. I hesitate to use the term 'tornado season,' though, because tornadoes are possible any day of the year just about anywhere in the country.

[Top Image: EF-4 tornado damage in Tylertown, Miss., via the National Weather Service]

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