Tennessee Twisters: Investigating Tornadic Hotspots in Western Tennessee from 1960-2022 and Assessing Physical Vulnerability

This study explores the patterns of tornado activity and community vulnerability in Western Tennessee from 1960 to 2022. By pinpointing tornado-prone areas, or ‘hotspots,’ we assess how close these hotspots are to public storm shelters to understand community vulnerability better. Using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data on tornado touchdowns and paths, we applied a kernel density estimation (KDE) to highlight key areas of tornado activity.

Our findings reveal that Western Tennessee, especially in counties like Shelby, Madison, Dyer, and Weakley, have multiple high-density tornado hotspots. Madison and Dyer counties, in particular, stand out for their frequent tornado touchdown points and paths hotspots. This could be the possibility that both Madison and Shelby counties are the most densely populated counties of the region and reports are less likely to go unseen. The main issue discovered was many of these hotspots are more than 10 miles away from the nearest public storm shelter, placing them in a high vulnerability category. Eight counties, including Benton, Decatur, and Fayette, lack sufficient storm shelters, posing a significant risk during tornado warnings. This highlights the urgent need for better tornado preparedness and more accessible shelters in these regions. This study highlights the importance of strategically placing storm shelters to mitigate the vulnerability of these counties and in turn, the tornado risk in Western Tennessee. This data can aid local governments, emergency management agencies, meteorologists, and citizens in better preparing for and mitigating the impact of tornadoes.