Meteorologist explains why Pittsburgh has seen so many tornadoes in May

Published: May 13, 2024 Duration: 00:02:31 Category: News & Politics
Tags : KDKA-TV News Evening
Trending searches: weather pittsburgh
HAVE THEM ONLINE. LIVE IN FINLEYVILLE, WASHINGTON COUNTY, CHRIS HOFFMAN, KDKA-TV NEWS. >>> THAT TORNADO WAS ONE OF SEVERAL THAT HAS HIT THE AREA OVER THE PAST WEEK. >> PITTSBURGH IS ALREADY SEEN MORE TORNADOES THIS YEAR, THEN IN A NORMAL YEAR, SO WHAT IS BEHIND THESE OUTBREAKS >> METEOROLOGIST KRISTIN EMERY IS HERE WITH SOME ANSWERS. >> IT HAS BEEN A CRAZY PAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, THE PITTSBURGH REGION AVERAGE IS ONLY AROUND SIX TORNADOES EACH YEAR. WE ALREADY HAD MORE THAN TWICE THE NUMBER IN 2024. TORNADO SEASON HERE, USUALLY PEAKS IN JUNE, BUT THIS YEAR, SEVERE WEATHER STARTED EVEN EARLIER. -- TORNADO STRENGTH IS RANKED BY THE ENHANCE SCALE OR THE ES SCALE BASED ON ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS AND RELATED DAMAGE. 98% OF TORNADOES IN THE PITTSBURGH REGION HAVE HISTORICALLY BEEN WEAKER, AS OPPOSED TO STRONGER TORNADOES. IN 2024, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH OFFICE HAS CONFIRMED 14 TORNADOES IN ITS COVERAGE AREA, WHICH INCLUDES NEARBY PARTS OF OHIO, AND WEST VIRGINIA, SIX OF THOSE WERE IN PENNSYLVANIA. THIS MARKS THE MOST CONFIRMED TORNADOES, SINCE 2021. NINE TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN MAY, THAT IS THE MOST SINCE 1985. THREE TORNADOES WERE RANKED EF-2s, WITH WINDS FROM 111 TO 135 MILES PER HOUR, THAT TIES THE ENTIRE 2021 SEASON, FOR TOTAL NUMBER OF EF-2 TORNADOES. ONE MORE TORNADO THAT STRONG, WOULD BE MARKED TO THE MOST SINCE 1998. >> WELL ABOVE AVERAGE, TWICE THE AVERAGE, IT HAS BEEN A BUSY START OF THE YEAR WITH A TORNADO IN FEBRUARY, AND IN APRIL AND OF COURSE A LOT IN MAY OR EUROPE. THE OBVIOUS QUESTION IS WHY, WHY SO MANY TORNADOES ARE HAPPENING SO EARLY IN THE YEAR. THE LACK OF COLD AIR THIS WINTER, PLAYS A BIG PART. >> WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THOSE COLD WINTERS AND YOU ARE REALLY KIND OF GOING INTO A WARM SEASON, YOU CAN GET THE MOISTURE UP HERE AND YOU CAN GET THE SYSTEM, COMING OUT OF EL NINO, LIKE WE HAVE GOING ON NOW. WE HAVE SEEN SEVERAL EPISODES LIKE IN JUNE OF 1998 WHERE HE HAD SEVERAL ROUNDS OF SEVERE WEATHER, SO AGAIN, THAT IS POSSIBLY ON THE TABLE. >> Reporter: BASICALLY OUR SPRING KICK STARTED SEVERE WEATHER ABOUT A MONTH EARLIER THAN AVERAGE. AND THERE COULD BE MORE ON THE WAY IN JUNE. HERE'S ANOTHER INTERESTING FACT, AND BY CONTRAST, LAST MAY, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PITTSBURGH OFFICE DIDN'T ISSUE

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