Tornado Weekly: May 5-11, 2013

Supercell near Quinter, KS on May 7, 2013. (Twitter: @FreeNewsAU)

Another week of no tornado watches, and minimal tornado activity. “Tornado drought” is seemingly the new norm, at least for now, so not too surprising on that front.

What this week lacked in overall numbers compared to many years around this time, it made up with in distance from report to report. It was a fairly uncommon week where tornadoes were verified in states on both coasts in addition to the central U.S.

Tornadoes were reported in 11 states, with Kansas having the most reports at two. 21 tornado warnings were issued, largely across Texas. “Surprise” tornadoes happened in a few places, including Illinois, Massachusetts and California.

Thoughts are now beginning to shift toward a potential legitimate storm system late this coming week, and the idea that there might be something of a turnaround from slow times possible in the not too distant future.

Select for larger. Tornado reports, warnings and convective watches for the week. Data via IEM and SPC. Note: Additional reports may filter in after this map was created, and reports do not necessarily indicate one tornado each or that there was a tornado. (Ian Livingston)

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