Theses and Dissertations
Issuing Body
Mississippi State University
Advisor
Dixon, P. Grady
Committee Member
Mercer, Andrew E.
Committee Member
Cooke, William H., III
Date of Degree
5-11-2013
Document Type
Graduate Thesis - Open Access
Major
Geosciences
Degree Name
Master of Science
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Department of Geosciences
Abstract
Previous tornado climatology research has relied primarily upon means of tornadoes or tornado days. Understanding the variability of tornado days however, will result in a more comprehensive understanding of the climatological distribution of tornadoes. In a changing environment, the extremities of a distribution should change faster than the mean of that distribution. Two methods of analyzing tornado days for predefined areas across the continental United States using the Storm Prediction Center's publication Storm Data from 1950 to 2011 are conducted in this study. Statistical analysis of averages, return periods, and percentiles reveals the variability in the record while consecutive tornado days present an alternative way to assess the seasonal repeatability and to assess risk for historic, multi-day tornado outbreaks. The results of this research will help to better define the traditional “tornado alley” as well as highlight other high-risk locations, especially those with higher interannual variability.
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/11668/20537
Recommended Citation
Farney, Tory, "Investigation of the Variability of Extreme Tornado Climatology" (2013). Theses and Dissertations. 2862.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/2862
Comments
extremes||climate extremes||climate