March 2014 Tornado Count Well Below Average

Why the Tornado Drought?

Essentially the same pattern responsible for a persistently cold and snowy winter in parts of the U.S. also, for the most part, squashed the threat of severe weather through the first three weeks of March.
A pronounced southward dip in the polar jet stream has frequently driven cold air into the Gulf of Mexico, as a powerful northward diversion of the jet stream has persisted in the eastern Pacific Ocean and western U.S. This is the polar opposite of a pattern which would favor severe weather in the southern states during winter.
As a result, deeper, richer Gulf moisture can't flow northward into the southern U.S. ahead of a strong jet-stream level disturbance. Shallow, meager moisture, with weak instability lends itself to damaging straight-line winds in any severe thunderstorms that have developed, rather than tornadic supercells.
However, history shows that a slow start to the year doesn't signal a quiet period is ahead. Both 2012 and 2013 featured at least 400 less U.S. tornadoes than the 10-year average. Despite that apparent tornado drought, we had the following destructive events:

• Mar. 2-3, 2012: EF4 in Henryville, Ind.; EF3 in West Liberty, Ky.
• May 15, 2013: EF4 in Granbury, Texas
• May 19-20, 2013: EF5 in Moore, Okla.
• May 31, 2013: EF3 in El Reno, Okla.
• Nov, 17, 2013: EF4 in Washington, Ill. 

How long can 2014 stay quiet?

http://www.weather.com/tv/tvshows/americas-morning-headquarters/march-tornadoes-may-set-record-low-20140321

Winter Weather Live Updates: Tracking Winter Weather in Parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-live-updates-snow-ice-latest-20131106

weak disturbance has brought freezing rain to parts of central and southeast Texas Tuesday morning; a shrinking zone from just east of Austin to just west and north of Houston may see additional ice accumulation through midday.

Farther east, parts of Louisiana, from Lake Charles to Alexandria and Baton Rouge, will also see areas of freezing rain and sleet continue through late morning or midday. Parts of southern Mississippi just north of the Louisiana border have also reported icy bridges and overpasses Tuesday morning due to freezing rain.

This is resulting in dangerous travel conditions, particularly on bridges and overpasses in the most affected areas. In addition, localized areas could see broken tree limbs or power outages.

(MORE: Ice Hits Houston, Austin Areas | Icy Mardi Gras in Louisiana)

In addition, extreme and lengthy traffic jams have been reported on I-40 and I-55 in eastern Arkansas Tuesday morning due to ice-glazed roads leftover from Winter Storm Titan, which struck that area Sunday and Monday, and the subfreezing temperatures that have followed.

(MORE: Massive Traffic Jams in Arkansas)

Below are the latest minute-by-minute updates from The Weather Channel team of meteorologists, along with National Weather Service offices and posts from social media. The latest updates will appear automatically on top; no need to refresh this page.

Times on the left are in Eastern Time; subtract one hour for Central Time, two hours for Mountain Time and three hours for Pacific Time.

Winter storm Pax in ATL

http://www.weather.com/news/commuter-conditions/atlanta-travel-impacts-winter-storm-pax-20140211

President Barack Obama has declared an emergency in Georgia as a winter storm brings snow and the threat of a thick layer of ice to the state.

Obama made the declaration Tuesday. It orders federal agencies to help the state and local response during the storm.

Forecasters say widespread outages are possible as ice builds up on trees and power lines. The ice threat is expected to begin in Georgia overnight. As much as 9 inches of snow could fall in parts of north Georgia by Wednesday night.


It was a stark contrast to the storm that hit Atlanta two weeks earlier. Downtown streets of the South's business hub were jammed with unmoving cars, highway motorists slept overnight in vehicles or abandoned them where they sat, and students were forced to camp out in school gymnasiums when roads turned too treacherous for buses to navigate.

With many at home instead of work or schools, the biggest threat in the current storm could be power outages. Forecasters say they're likely to be widespread as ice builds on trees and power lines. The ice threat is expected to begin in Georgia overnight. As much as 9 inches of snow could fall in parts of north Georgia by Wednesday night