3.24.2008 8:10 AM

2008 So Far: 153% More Tornadoes Than Average

Second Most Deadly Year for Tornadoes on Record, to Date

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graph showing tornadoes through March 15 2008 as compared to the previous three years

There have been 153% more tornadoes reported in 2008 than the average of the previous three years.

Photo: NOAA

By Dan Shapley

2008 is shaping up to be an extraordinary year for U.S. tornadoes.

The running total for the year is running a stunning 153% above the average over the preceding three years. There have been 473 reported tornadoes, compared to an average of 187.

While the number for 2008 is preliminary, and could over-estimate the number if multiple reports have been logged for the same storm, one figure can't be mistaken: the death toll.

The 69 deaths by tornado in 2008 to date is second only to 1971, when 137 people had died from tornadoes by this time of the year.

Some scientists have predicted that tornado activity will increase with global warming.

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