No one killed by tornadoes in US in May, June

For the first time since 2005, and only the second time on record, no one was killed by tornadoes in the U.S. in either May or June.

Those are typically two of the USA’s deadliest months for tornadoes, along with March and April. Official U.S. tornado records go back to 1950.

So far in 2018, tornadoes have killed only three people. The most recent was on April 13 in Louisiana, according to the Storm Prediction Center. An average of 71 Americans are killed each year by tornadoes, based on data from 1987 to 2016, the Weather Channel said.

Based on the official database, the year with the fewest tornado deaths was 1986, when 15 people died. Unofficial records – from before 1950 – show that in 1910, only 12 people were killed.

The lack of tornado deaths coincides with a quiet year for twisters overall. So far, there have been 571 reports of tornadoes across the U.S. this year. (That number likely will be reduced once duplicate reports are discounted.) On average, during the first six months of the year, about 1,000 tornadoes hit the U.S.

NOAA spokesman Chris Vaccaro said the lack of tornado deaths is only partly due to fewer tornadoes: “Accurate and timely watches and warnings – including cellphone alerts – supported in part by improved radar technology play a major role in saving lives throughout the tornado season,” he said.

Warm, humid air is one of the ingredients needed for tornadoes to form, and for much of the early part of the year, it was lacking in the central U.S.

Chilly air from Canada, thanks to a persistent southward dip in the jet stream over the eastern U.S., helped to keep temperature and humidity surges to a minimum, AccuWeather said.