Citation

Simmons KM, Sutter DS. Bull. Am. Meterol. Soc. 2012; 93(7): 959-961.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, American Meteorological Society, Publisher Allen Press)

DOI

10.1175/BAMS-D-11-00126.1

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The 2011 tornadoes are highlighted and the future of tornado research is discussed. The tornadoes of 2011 highlight a unique and the toughest problem in protecting the public from severe weather, the long-track, violent tornado. The 27 April 2011 tornado outbreak across the southern United States set a record for the most tornadoes in a 24-h period and was the second deadliest in U.S. history. To address this threat, engineers have developed safe rooms and underground shelters capable of protecting residents from even the strongest tornadoes. Permanent homes provide substantial protection for residents against most tornadic winds. Emerging technologies like mobile Doppler radars, short-wavelength radars, and phased-array radars may allow the observation of the lower levels of thunderstorms to identify the winds in a tornado. Relocation to low-probability areas would substantially reduce mobile-home fatalities and could be accomplished at relatively low cost due to the nature of mobile-home facilities.