There are 1,200 tornadoes in the U.S. every year on average, but in recent years they have been clustering far more often than usual. In the Southeastern states especially, tornado clusters have been extremely destructive and have caused multiple deaths and injuries just in recent months.

If you live in Tornado Alley or Southeastern states, you’ve surely seen the destruction firsthand and know how quickly these cyclones can appear.

Here’s some quantifiable data to show just how bad these storms can be:

  • On average, there’s only a 13-minute warning time before a tornado strikes. They can strike at any time, anywhere, as long as the conditions are right. Scientists don’t fully understand tornadoes and what causes them. Weather patterns, specifically global warming, are a potential culprit, but meteorologists cannot confirm this. In the 1980s, the warning time was even shorter, at just five minutes. While tornadoes are still elusive, we have developed technology to at least predict a tornado strike with more time to prepare.

  • There have been 59 confirmed F5 or EF5 tornadoes on record in the U.S., and 22 of them have touched down in Tornado Alley. Tornado Alley spans eight states and roughly 500,000 square miles, putting nearly 17 million people at risk.

  • Between 1950 and 2012, there were 5,587 confirmed fatalities related to tornadoes nationwide. Nearly one fifth of these deaths took place in Tornado alley.

  • The Storm Prediction Center reports that since 1950, seven of the 10 most expensive tornadoes took place in Tornado Alley. In 2011, the costliest tornado on record took place in Joplin, Missouri. The EF5 tornado caused approximately $2.8 billion in damages.

  • Between 1993 and 2012, the average annual loss due to severe thunderstorms and tornadoes was $7.78 billion. During that time, 2011 stands out yet again, with a combined total of $27 billion in insurance claims.

 
With such compelling data, many families in Southern and Midwestern states have had aboveground storm shelters installed to keep their families safe. These allow entire families to easily and quickly take shelter from the storm.

Valley Storm Shelters sells aboveground storm shelters of all sizes to accommodate families of all sizes. Based in Alabama, we know tornadoes. Trust us to build a custom enclosure for you to keep your family as safe as possible.