Though Tornado Alley in the American Great Plains has a reputation for being a hotbed for tornadic activity, it’s more lethal cousin lies just next door and it comes across our region. Dixie Alley, in the southeast US, has become the deadliest region for tornadoes in the world.
Despite Tornado Alley traditionally having more frequent tornadoes, Dixie Alley produces the most destructive and 
deadly tornadoes. Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, parts of western Kentucky, and southern Missouri make up the bullseye of what is known as Dixie Alley. The twisters are different beasts in the wooded, humid and hilly Southeast than they are in the dry, flat and windswept Plains.
That makes observing the twisters harder in the region, where low clouds add to the list of conditions that can obscure tornadoes until it's too late for residents and Spotters alike. Driving is limited by the terrain and roads there, whereas the Plains' orderly grid pattern of highways makes getting around easier. The "rough" forested and urban landscapes of the Southeast make tornadoes spin up in different ways than the "smooth" landscapes of the flat, agricultural Plains. Southern tornadoes can sometimes occur in the winter, when people may not be as prepared for their destructive powers that are most often associated with spring. Many also happen at night, making it harder to seek shelter or watch the latest 
forecasts.
Tennessee, Arkansas and Kentucky log the most nighttime twisters. Tennessee leads the nation in the number of nighttime tornadoes and Arkansas is number two followed by Kentucky as a close number three in the country. Half the nation's mobile homes, far more susceptible to tornadoes' winds, are located in the Southeast, where they add up to as much as one-fifth of the residences in many counties. Most tornado deaths occur in mobile homes, according to the Storm Prediction Center. "Tornado density is greater in the Southeast than anywhere else," said Grady Dixon, a geosciences professor at Fort Hays State University in Kansas.
On average, about 40 people die in the nine states that make up the southeastern U.S. each year. Alabama tallies the highest death toll annually with an average of 14, according to data from the Storm Prediction Center. By comparison, an average of 10 people die from twisters each year combined in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, the three states that make up Tornado Alley. Overall, about 73 Americans are killed each year by tornadoes, based on data from 1985-2014. Dixon's 2011 study found twisters were far more likely in the region because the storm-fueled forces of nature last longer on the ground there than in the Plains. His research discovered the most tornado-prone area in the country is Smith County, in southeastern Mississippi. 
The deadly tornadoes that ripped through the southern and eastern U.S. last month, killing seven is just the start of what appears to be a very active severe season coming. Although no one can predict exactly how severe tornadoes will be in any given season, there is one thing that is certain. The Mid-South is a magnet for deadly twisters, and it has everything to do with the location. As we begin to learn more about Dixie Alley and the tornadic monsters to which residents have grown all too accustomed, many more challenges are uncovered. As the population of major southern metropolises, such as Atlanta, Nashville, and New Orleans, continues to increase, more residents may find themselves in harm’s way. Additionally, scientists continue to assess the long-term meteorological consequences of climate change. It’s very likely that severe, tornadic storms will continue to increase in frequency and potency, continuing the trend seen in recent years in Dixie Alley.
Together, these challenges only make clearer the necessity for effective warning and education programs along with community and individual preparedness such as trained spotter groups. The secret is out; tornadoes don’t care where or when they strike, but in Dixie Alley…it’s safe to assume they’re not going away any time soon. The only thing that can change is how we deal with them. Feel free to leave comments and be sure to hit the “Like” button at the bottom of this post.
