The unusual Plains tornado drought resulted from a larger weather pattern that proved unfavorable for widespread severe thunderstorms and tornadoes over the Great Plains, a region that typically sees springtime tornado swarms. During the entirety of 2020, Wichita’s Weather Service office issued only two tornado warnings, far below its annual average of 36. Other traditional tornado haunts of western Oklahoma, Nebraska and eastern Colorado also lacked tornado watches in 2020, with few recorded tornadoes. Over the Great Plains, wind shear is usually maximized when surface winds are out of the east-southeast and upper-level winds are out of the southwest. “Spring 2020 featured much … lower than normal instability across the central and southern Plains,” Hayes said.

Source: Washington Post December 31, 2020 16:47 UTC