LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Here in Kentuckiana, we are no strangers to severe weather.
While thunderstorms and tornadoes can occur any time of the year, they happen most frequently in the spring.
It’s why March through June are considered a “severe weather season.”
You can see below that April has the most tornado days per month in Louisville.
The data shows a clear spike in tornadoes in April, May and June in Louisville.The graph also depicts that a tornado can form each month of the year!.
Thunderstorm Ingredients
Several ingredients must be present In order for storms to fire up and potentially turn severe.
Instability, a lifting mechanism, wind shear and moisture create favorable conditions.
Instability is created when cold and dry air in the upper levels of the atmosphere battle it out with a relatively warmer, humid air mass closer to the ground.
When the warm, spring air collides with cooler, dry air the atmosphere becomes unstable.
Moisture feeds in from the Gulf and the low-pressure and high-pressure systems clash, igniting and strengthening the thunderstorms.
Due to the increased level of warmth and humidity in the spring months, storms have more "juice" to work with to aid in the cells turning severe.
Remember that even after the seasons change, don't put your guard down. Staying weather aware is a year-round venture.
Download the WHAS11 app to stay weather aware this severe weather season and stick with the WHAS11 First Alert StormTeam.
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