Drought leads to lack of tornadoes in SE Wisconsin
MILWAUKEE - It's been almost a year an ten months since the last tornado was recorded in southeast and south central Wisconsin, the areas served by Milwaukee's National Weather Service Office.
That's the second longest stretch on record. The last tornado we had in the area was August 8th of 2011.
The longest stretch on record is 2 years, 6 months, and 12 days. That lasted from September 26, 1951 through April 7, 1954.
"It's a little bit odd," said Steve Brueske with the National Weather Service in Milwaukee. But he says you shouldn't read too much into it. "I think this is just a natural occurrence that happens."
The drought last summer did play a big role. "The low level moisture is really what provides the energy [for tornadoes] and with the drought last year we just didn't have that energy available," Brueske said.
That's already changed this year. The weather pattern has been much more moist.