Tornado Tracker

Meteorologists can see a busy hurricane season brewing months ahead, but until now there has been no such crystal ball for tornadoes, which are much smaller and more volatile. This information gap took on new urgency after tornadoes in 2011 killed more than 550 people, more than in the  previous 10 years combined , including a devastating outbreak in April that racked up $5 billion in insured losses . Now, a new study of short-term climate trends offers the first framework for predicting...Read Full Story

Boston.com Thunderstorms pound Texas; tornado hits Austin Reuters By Corrie MacLaggan | AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) - A tornado hit Austin, Texas, and thunderstorms pounded San Antonio, Dallas and Houston on Wednesday, bringing the parched Lone Star State drenching rains and destructive winds that knocked out power, ... Flooding seen across Texas San Antonio Express Severe storms drench Texas, at least 3 tornadoes Boston.com Severe storms drench Texas; 3 tornadoes reported USA TODAY Washington...Read Full Story

JOPLIN, Mo ( Reuters ) - Like a lot of other Joplin homeowners, Herndon Snider rode out the May 22 tornado in a bathtub. Other popular places to take cover from the vicious tornado were closets and center hallways. Such is the price people pay for living in communities such as Joplin where basements are rare due to rocky, wet soil. About 87 percent of homes in Joplin have no basements, according to the Jasper County assessor's office. The vulnerability of residents to injury or death in...Read Full Story

BOSTON ( Reuters ) - Much of the Northeast braced for thunderstorms, hail and high winds on Wednesday as forecasts called for severe weather and set the stage for possible tornadoes. Portions of states from the Mid-Atlantic through New England were included in a National Weather Service tornado watch in effect from late afternoon until 8 p.m. with parts of the region under a thunderstorm watch that threatened to bring hail and wind gusts to 70 miles per hour. Around Boston, the storms were...Read Full Story

CTV.ca Mom shielding daughter among Mass. tornado victims Boston Globe By AP Angelica Guerrero, 39, of West Springfield, died while shielding her 15-year-old daughter as the family's home collapsed on top of them. An older daughter, Fabiola, wept Thursday as she returned to the wreckage. She was at work when the tornado ... In tornado-struck Massachusetts, it feels like Missouri Los Angeles Times Springfield, Massachussets hit by severe tornadoes, leaving at least 4 dead Washington Post...Read Full Story