One of the Most Active Tornado Seasons

According to NPR and the Weather Channel reports, this year is shaping up to be one of the most active tornado seasons on record. More than 100 people have died so far, and the number of storms is far above the 10-year average. The deaths attributed to tornadoes this year has made 2008 the deadliest year thus far for tornadoes since 1998 and the seventh deadliest since modern recordkeeping began in 1950, The Weather Channel said. Such a rate could make 2008 the year with the most tornadoes since 1950.
Scientists say the season got off to a strong start especially early this year, perhaps because of unusually cool ocean temperatures in the western Pacific.
We're just passing the peak of Severe Weather Season now (late June). Tornado season generally begins late winter and lasts through mid-summer. May is peak tornado period for the Southeast; the season then cranks up through July in the upper Midwest and northern Plains states.
By the end of March, the U.S. already had logged some 350 tornadoes. By mid-May, the Weather Channel said there were 636 tornadoes confirmed in the U.S.
Hear the whole story on NPR at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91461565