Tornado Alley is shifting east. It's putting the South at greater risk

Tornado Alley—a broad section of the central US known for frequent tornados—is shifting eastward, making storms deadlier and harder to predict. Powerful tornadoes are hitting the Southeast and Midwest more often, striking at night when people are least prepared. In the South, dense forests and hilly terrain make it difficult to spot tornadoes from a distance, unlike the wide open landscapes of the Great Plains. As the threat grows, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency responsible fortracking severe weather, is facing mass layoffs, raising concerns about weaker and less frequent forecasts when they’re needed most. Credits: AJC | Getty Images | Scientific American | Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology | The Christian Science Monitor | CBS News | KHOU 11 | ArcGIS Online | X: @Massimo | YouTube: @EdgarTheStormChaser, @thebroderickhoward, @ConvectiveChronicles Sources: Nature | Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology | NOAA | National Weather Service | Eos | Scientific American | CBS News | CNN | The Christian Science Monitor | The Guardian | Axios | Berkeley Beacon