March is typically one of the peak months for tornadoes in the United States.
Though rare so early in our region, it is common for there to be big outbreaks in March across the Southern Plains or the Southeast.
This year, for just the second time since 1950, there were no tornadoes reported across the country from March 1-15. The other year was 1969.
The cause for this year's absence of twisters is, of course, the jet stream pattern, which has kept the Great Plains extremely dry this month so far. And although the Southeast has been rainy, the rains have been general soakers.
The pattern just has not favored the development of tornado-producing supercell thunderstorms. This should not be taken as a sign that our warm season will be free of tornadoes.
