Tornado Season: What To Expect (Infographic)

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The United States leads the world in absolute tornado counts, with an average of more than a thousand twisters annually.
The United States leads the world in absolute tornado counts, with an average of more than a thousand twisters annually. (Image credit: Ross Toro, LiveScience Contributor)

This year is expected to pack plenty of tornadoes, according to predictions by AccuWeather.

Even so, the number of tornadoes as of May 6 was much lower than the same time last year, AccuWeather found, with preliminary numbers putting the number of U.S. tornadoes between Jan. 1 and May 1 at 625; for comparison, that same stretch saw 912 U.S. tornadoes in 2011.

Tornadoes, which are violently rotating columns of air that extend from thunderstorms to the ground — cause an average of 70 fatalities and 1,500 injuries each year in the United States, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The strongest of the bunch packs rotating winds of more than 250 miles per hour (402 kilometers per hour), according to NOAA.

Live Science Staff
Live Science Staff
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