Tornado Risk North Vs. South

There is the perception among my science colleagues that there is a higher risk of injuries and fatalities from tornadoes in the Southern U.S. compared to the Northern U.S.  I have long wondered if it was a myth or a fact.  I decided to use the Storm Prediction Center's Severe Storms Data Base (Severe Plot) to design an experiment to test this.

Two equal size areas. 
The northern study area was centered on Latitude 39.9° North and Longitude 90.0° West. 
The southern study area was centered on latitude 32.2° North and longitude 90.0° West.

Data period January 1, 1950 thru December 31, 2023 (74 years)

Severe Plot Input:
Northern Area
19500101/0600 thru 20231231/2359  In the URL address: lat=40.5 & lon=89.5 & zoom = 250.  

Southern Area
19500101/0600 thru 20231231/2359  In the URL address; lat = 31.8 & lon = 89.0 & zoom = 250. 

Tornado totals, fatalities and Injuries, northern vs. southern U.S.

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Comparison

There were almost identical total numbers of tornadoes (5363 vs 5364) in these two same size areas.

The total number of tornadoes were almost identical in the two regions, but the southern region had 91% more fatalities and 52% more injuries  compared to the northern region.

One of the primary reasons for increased vulnerability in the southern region is the much higher frequency of nighttime (nocturnal) tornadoes compared to the northern region. Read more about this factor at

LINK: Vulnerability due to Nocturnal Tornadoes
 

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Severe Plot Data Output for this analysis

Northern Tornadoes

Southern Tornadoes