Mainers May Be At Higher Risk Than Normal For A Twister Today

'Maine' and 'tornadoes' aren't words in the same sentence very often

A quick Google search reveals that in a normal year, Maine sees an average of two, count those again, two... tornadoes every year. Those we do get average between 0 and 1 on the Fujita scale. so compared to the F4's and F5's they see out in the mid-west, ours seem more like a stiff breeze.

That's not to say I'd want to be in one, but that the chance for widespread devastation like you see in other parts of the country, is pretty unlikely. But just the same, even a small tornado can cause more damage than we're used to seeing around here, and people certainly aren't keeping that in mind when building a house. Still scary though.

If Keith Carson says it...

What caught my eye this morning was Keith Carson's Facebook page, where he claims that Maine is in a much higher bracket than normal, for potential twisters. He claims we're at a 5% risk. Compared to our usual risk level, this means we're more likely to get them than as ever. As he put it:

You might say "Well 5% doesn't seem that high", but for Northern New England that is a strong signal that the Storm Prediction Center feels there's a real risk for us.I would agree given the atmospheric dynamics, specifically the low level shear in that would allow rotation.