Based on official US historical data from 1950-2005. Over 48,000 tornadoes catalogued and mapped.
It recently came to my attention that the time given for tornadoes occurring in 2004 was incorrect. The root of the problem is that the time as given in the source data (SPC historical archive) are in a different format for 2004 than in all other years. Thus, the standard translation used for all other years does not work for 2004. To make a long story short, the Tornado History Project database has been updated with corrected 2004 tornado times.
The latest update to the Tornado History Project has made searching for tornadoes easier than ever. Previously, there were separate pages for searching the database and outputting the results on a map or in a table. So, if you were viewing the search results in table form, but wanted to view the same search on a map, you had to 1) go to the map page - which erased your previous search parameters 2) re-enter your search parameters 3) submit your search. Now, a user can simply use the combined search page and toggle between the map and table outputs.
Also, in previous posts I have mentioned that improved path data was forthcoming for selected tornadoes. This is still in the works, but has not yet been completed. I will post here when it is ready to go.
The 2006 data has finally been added! I know I initally said I’d be done with the 2006 update by the end of September, but it proved to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Well, actually, getting the data added wasn’t the difficult part - it was the near complete internal database reorganization I decided to do. To make a long story short, there are several inconsistencies within the SPC archive. I’m not talking about errors in the data such as incorrect Fujita classificaions, lat/lon coordinates, etc. (there are still many of those…), but rather, inconsistencies with how segments of the data relate to one another. I have identified most, if not all, of the inconsistencies and have made modifications where needed. The modifications were generally limited to the internal SPC numbering scheme (the “SPC Tor. #” and “State Tor. #” columns on the Tornado Database page) and do not affect the official stats such as locations, fatalites, injuries, etc. Any modified records will be displayed in a red font when viewing search results on the Tornado Database page.
Also, significantly, I have completely changed the internal tornado indexing scheme. This shouldn’t affect anything, but it is an important change in that the new index will serve to permanently identify tornadoes in the Tornado History Project database going forward. The index is derived by combining the date of the tornado, the FIPS code of the state it occurred in (or the first state it occurred in if it is a multi-state tornado), and the state tornado number of that tornado. So, a tornado that occurred on 1/1/1950 in Alabama (FIPS code=1) and has been given the state tornado number label of 1 by the SPC will become tornado index #19500101.1.1
In addition to internal database changes, I have made the site somewhat easier to use (I think…) by providing clearer instructions and more appropriate icons representing links to maps, user comments, photos, and videos. You can see this by taking a look at the Tornado Database page. Tornado paths have also been changed to match the color of the tornado icon. So, an F3 tornado is now represented by the old orange icon and the new orange path line (instead of a standard blue path line…)
A few other changes were made too, but probably not significant enough to discuss here. Keep checking back over the next few weeks/months as I have a few other updates planned. The biggest update will be adding more detailed path data for many tornadoes (see previous blog post for more information.
The SPC (Storm Prediction Center) has recently added 2006 data to their historical tornado archive . A quick glance through the documentation reveals 2 new data elements have been added:
Additionally, 2 data elements present in past releases have been removed:
Over the next few weeks I’ll be comparing the 2006 file with the 2005 file to see if any changes have been made to past (pre 2006) data. Once everything is squared away, I’ll add 2006 data to the TornadoHistoryProject website. Hopefully, this will be done by the end of September (or before), so keep checking back.
I have also obtained a separate historical archive from the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) that includes more detailed path information for multi-county and multi-state tornadoes (I am not yet sure of the derivation of this archive; I’ll post more when I have more information…) Essentially, lat/lon coordinates are given when a tornado passes from one county or state to another. This will result in a more accurate representation of tornado paths (particularly for long paths.) Having said that, there are a number of discrepancies between the two historical archives that need to be resolved. I may end up adding the expanded path data in separate year by year releases as each year’s data is cross-checked between the two databases. However I do it, this will definitely be a labor intensive project so it may take a while to fully complete it. I’ll post more details as I go along.
Welcome to the new Tornado History Project News/Blog. This area will be used to post updates to the site and to serve as a record of changes. Check back soon as several updates are under development. More details to follow…