Deaths due to severe weather have steadily declined over the last 60 years.

The decline in deaths can be attributed to better forecasts, earlier warnings due to better radar technolgy, better public education, and an increase in storm spotter networks.

More people are killed each year due to flooding than any other severe weather event.

Thunderstorms occur in Ohio an average of 30 to 50 days per year. That may sound like a lot but its not.

Parts of Florida average more than 100 thunderstorm days each year.

Since Florida is a peninsula, cool ocean breezes move inland from the Gulf of Mexico side to the west and from the Atlantic Ocean side to the east. These two breezes act like cold fronts, lifting warm, humid air and causing thunderstorms to form.

The states of Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas make up what we call Tornado Alley. This is the area in the U.S. that sees the most tornadoes every year.

Cool canadian air sliding down the east side of the Rocky Mountains meets up with warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico most often in Tornado Alley. The clash of these two air masses causes numerous thunderstorms to form and lots of tornadoes.

If we look at the monthly distribution of tornadoes in the United States, we find May is the peak tornado month followed closely by June. Ohio sees an average of 16 tornadoes per year.

Tornadoes can occur any day of the year. Although tornadoes can occur any time of the day or night, the most favored time for tornado development is from mid-afternoon to early evening, when the sun's energy is at its peak.