Published in the April 2024 issue of the Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology, the study examined tornadoes rated F/EF1 or stronger over two separate, 35-year periods (1951-1985 and 1986-2020) to look for changes in where these tornadoes formed. F/EF0 tornadoes were excluded to filter out the much greater number of these weakest tornadoes detected in recent years due to improved technology and more extensive National Weather Service damage surveys. What past decades looked like: From the mid-20th century until the mid 1980s, the map looked like the past version of the Plains "Tornado Alley" with peak activity from northern...
