Pa. is ranked among top 20 tornado-prone states

HUNTSVILLE, ALA. — Property in Pennsylvania is statistically more likely to be hit by a tornado than properties in three of the nation’s 20 most tornado prone states, according to a new study. Missouri, Minnesota or Michigan are all in that number, but Pennsylvania ranks higher. The commonwealth is also the only Mid-Atlantic state in the rankings. By means of the Site Assessment of Tornado Threat software, VorTek LLC., an Alabama software developer, has just completed its annual compilation of the top 20 tornado-prone states. The study is based on the latest National Weather Service data for tornadic activity from 1950 through 2006. Rankings are based on the acreage disturbed relative to the state’s total acreage. A larger state may have more acres disturbed, but be statistically less prone to tornados. Mississippi again ranks number one as the most tornado-prone state. Five of the top 10 states are in the Mississippi Valley. For more on VorTek software, visit http://vortek.home.mindspring.com/ .