A single tornado can damage a mile-wide area for nearly 50 miles, which can be devastating to any person, animal, or building it its path. But tornado outbreaks, like the ones that struck the Southeast at the end of November, can wreak havoc on an even wider scale.

Over the course of just two days, at least three dozen tornadoes struck the states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Florida. So far, there have been seven confirmed deaths due to these tornadoes. Scientists and meteorologists have taken note of larger, more frequent clusters in recent years, but are not sure what the causes are.

Scientists have noted that while the number of tornadoes that have touched down has not increased over the past 50 years, the amount of clusters, like this one, certainly has.

Global warming is one potential culprit, according to some scientists. The weather conditions were just right the days of the tornadoes: heat and moisture were rising and there was a vertical wind shear.

However, Michael Tippett, a mathematician at Columbia University who tracks these outbreaks, told NPR that he has not yet linked the tornadoes to global warming.

“It’s not the expected signature of climate change,” he said, “it could be either something else, or we really don’t understand what climate change is doing.”

While no evidence points to this either, Tippet said that warm ocean temperatures circulating in the Atlantic and Pacific may be contributing factors. As the circulations change, long-term weather patterns have been known to change as well.

Regardless of the causes of these tornadoes, it’s necessary for families and businesses to protect themselves by investing in the best aboveground tornado shelters. Storm shelters are especially necessary in these southern states seeing more frequent tornado clusters, but you can never be too safe. If you have children living in your home, then a safe shelter in case of severe storm weather is especially important. As weather patterns change in unexpected ways, it’s nearly impossible to predict the paths of these storms and where they could hit next.

If you’re in a high-risk tornado region or if you face other serious, inclement weather events, you should look into the possibility of top rated aboveground tornado shelters. These shelters come in all sorts of sizes to accommodate large and small families, individuals, and even your entire office.

Contact Valley Storm Shelters today to find a shelter that suits your needs.