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Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant is working with the National Severe Storms Lab on the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes EXperiment-Southeast (VORTEX-SE) program. The Sea Grant role focuses on developing an extension program to share tornado research and other life-saving information with residents in the Southeast region.

As part of our efforts, VORTEX-SE Outreach and Engagement is presenting “Storm Tech: The Tools Behind the Forecast,” a webinar series that provides an inside look at the weather detection technology that aids in developing weather forecasts and emergency alerts. This series will feature a publication and webinar led by experienced meteorologists who will cover several storm detection technologies, such as Doppler radar, radiosondes (weather balloons), satellites, lightning arrays and much more.

"Webinar registration flyer for a session titled 'Rolling Fork-Amory Tornadoes: One Year Later,' scheduled for September 26, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM CT. The webinar features physical and social scientists from the VORTEX-SE project at the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Speakers include Alan Gerard, Tony Lyza, Kodi Berry, Mike Coniglio, and Kenzie Krocak. The discussion will cover data collected after the tornadoes, policy changes, and local outreach efforts. A Zoom registration link is provided."

Please join us for our upcoming webinar “Rolling Fork-Winona-Amory Tornadoes: One Year Later.” VORTEX-SE scientists at the National Severe Storms Laboratory as they describe the instruments deployed and data collected after these impactful Mississippi storms. 

Find out how the data is being used to help make decisions, change policy and improve future forecasting. Learn about the local outreach and engagement and how the information is being shared back to the community.

Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024

Time: 2-3:30 p.m. (Central Time)

Register for this event. 

VORTEX-SE Outreach and Engagement is committed to educating the public about the importance of severe weather preparedness, and we believe that understanding how storm detection technology works will inspire Southeasterners to take appropriate action and boost post-storm resilience.

NOAA Weather Radio: "Test regularly and make sure it's tuned to your local station." Cell phone: "Turned on, charged, and Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled." Flashlight & Shoes: "Keep flashlight and sturdy shoes handy." Safe Place: "Have a safe place prepared if you know storms are coming." At the bottom right, it includes a link to weather.gov and the NOAA logo. The overall visual emphasizes nighttime preparedness in case of a tornado, with a dark, calm setting indoors while a storm brews outside the window.

Weather-related disasters pose a critical threat to the United States, resulting in a significant loss of lives and property. In fact, in 2023 alone, severe weather events in the U.S. cost around 560 lives and billions of dollars in damage.1

Although the Central Plains region of the U.S. is known as the “Tornado Alley,” the Southeast is increasingly becoming known as the second Tornado Alley or “Dixie Alley,”2 due to its unique vulnerabilities to tornadic activity3:

  • Higher percentage of nighttime tornadoes
  • High percentage of mobile homes by county
  • High percentage of forest coverage
  • High percentage of under-resourced communities
  • Potential for tornadoes year-round
The image contains four maps of the United States, each focusing on different data related to tornado fatalities, mobile home distribution, forest cover, and poverty: Map (a): Shows the percentage of nighttime tornado fatalities by state from 1985 to 2005. The states with greater than 10 fatalities are illustrated, with shaded states above the national average for nighttime tornado fatalities (42.5%). States like Alabama (81.0%), Arkansas (73.3%), and Tennessee (67.7%) have some of the highest percentages. Map (b): Depicts the percentage of mobile homes by county (according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2006). Darker regions indicate higher percentages of mobile homes, particularly in the southeastern U.S. Map (c): Shows forest cover in the United States as determined by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data. Solid black areas indicate regions with high forest cover, particularly in the Appalachian region and the Pacific Northwest. Map (d): Displays the percentage of the county population in poverty based on U.S. Census Bureau 2006 data. Darker areas represent counties with higher poverty rates, mainly concentrated in the southeastern U.S. and parts of the West. The image includes the following caption: (a) Percentage of nighttime tornado fatalities by state (illustrated for states with greater than 10 tornado fatalities for 1985–2005; shaded states above the national average for nighttime tornado fatalities of 42.5%). (b) Percentage of mobile homes by county (U.S. Census Bureau 2006). (c) Forest cover (solid black) for the United States as determined by Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer data. (d) Percent of county population in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau 2006). Citation: Ashley, W.S., 2007: Weather and Forecasting 22, 6; 10.1175/2007WAF2007004.1. ©American Meteorological Society. Used with permission.
  1. National Weather Service, 2023: Weather Related Fatality and Injury Statistics
  2. Gensini, V.A., Brooks, H.E., 2018: Spatial trends in United States tornado frequency.
  3. Ashley, W. S., 2007: Spatial and Temporal Analysis of Tornado Fatalities in the United States

Meet the author

Kristiana Allen

Risk Communication and Learning Specialist

Kristiana Allen is a risk communication and learning specialist with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium’s Education and Engagement Team. She also is a member of the NOAA National Severe... Read more

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