An Analysis of Crashes, Fatalities, and Injuries Caused by Thunderstorm and Tornado Winds While Traveling

Severe storm safety while traveling is a topic that has been debated for many years. This study explores the crashes, injuries, and fatalities that have been caused by thunderstorm and tornadic winds throughout the contiguous United States. This study examines the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Storm Events Database (SED) to determine the number, time, and location of vehicle crashes related to thunderstorms and tornadoes for the years 2009–2023. Vehicle crashes, injuries, and fatalities associated with tornadoes and thunderstorm winds are classified as both direct and indirect within the SED. To overcome this limitation, the narratives for each event were read to arrive at the best estimate of these totals. It is discovered that most of the events occur in the Midwest. Reports are most common between 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time, similar to the overall diurnal distribution of tornadoes and thunderstorms. With this information we hope to explore this topic further to understand better why these incidents are more common in the regions that we found and explore solutions for how to bring more awareness to the issue and reduce the impact of tornadoes and thunderstorm winds on road users.