Report: Indiana Should Be Included In ‘Tornado Alley’

Photo: Indiana Public Media News

The term "tornado alley" refers to areas in Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and South Dakota that are prone to tornado-producing weather.

A California research firm has identified Indiana and several other states as areas with high enough tornado counts that would merit inclusion into the area known as “tornado alley.” The moniker has been used for years to refer to an area including the Texas panhandle, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and eastern South Dakota.

Research firm CoreLogic says Indiana, Illinois, and western Kentucky should be added to the area as well as Mississippi and Alabama known as “Dixie Alley.” National Weather Service Meteorologist Dave Tucek says Corelogic used NOAA data that measured the number of tornadoes per square area for each state.

“When you look at the sheer numbers out in the plain states, by far Texas has a huge number of tornadoes that take place, followed by Kansas, but when you look at it on a tornadoes per square area, you know, there are lots of states that jump in to the situation, including Indiana,” Tucek says.

Tucek says Indiana has been at the top of that list for several years. He says the term “tornado alley” is not official and many in the field don‘t know how or when it got started. He says Indiana‘s annual rate of tornadoes has determined the alert and response procedures that are in place and adding the state to the “tornado alley” list would not change any of that.