Dixie Alley
Though most everyday Americans think of twisters running wild in the Midwestern plains states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and North Texas, Tornado Alley as it’s known in common vernacular, the Southern states are no stranger to nature’s most violent offspring. Dixie Alley, while lesser known than the infamous Tornado Alley, poses distinct danger in terms of Tornado fatalities each and every year. With its tumultuous epicenter spanning from northern Alabama and Mississippi, west into Arkansas, cutting across Tennessee’s midsection and reaching north to the boot hill of Missouri, Dixie Alley sends ripple effects from its powerful storms all the way up to Indiana and southern Michigan, with milder repercussions reaching the east into the Carolinas and northwest to Wisconsin and Minnesota.Despite Dixie Alley’s nationwide presence, the southern Plains states of Alabama and Mississippi are most vulnerable to deadly storms. In fact, both Alabama and Mississippi have reported more tornado related deaths than any Midwestern state referenced as a part of Tornado Alley, save for Texas, whose numbers are inflated by massive population totals. The strength of Alabama storms is also of note, reporting a higher total of F5 tornados than any other state, save for Kansas, which recorded similar numbers. Such high fatalities are not entirely due to total tornado touchdowns or accelerated wind speeds, however, as some experts theorize it has more to do with a level or preparedness by Alabama citizens relative to that of their Midwestern counterparts. Over 60 of all tornado deaths occur by occupants of mobile or manufactured homes, of which there are many across the two states. Furthermore, the heavily forested South provides less clear sight lines than the flat and open Midwest, making it that much more difficult to see a funnel coming. Dixie Ally residents also do not benefit from a clearly defined tornado season, with many twisters tearing through the southern states much early than the national trend of May and June. This results in residents being less on guard for the threat of Tornados which are fully capable of breaking out as early as February or as late as the tail end of Fall.