No Tornados?

Meteorologists in a section of Nebraska and Kansas are a little mystified by the absence of tornados this year, in an area with a high probability of them:

Meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Hastings are feeling lucky this year.

The 30-county area they serve in central Nebraska and north-central Kansas hasn't had a confirmed tornado for the first six months of this year. That hasn't happened since 1950.

There were two years that came close, 1966 and 1981, when a single tornado was reported during the first half of each year.

"It's quite unusual," said Steve Kisner, warning coordination meteorologist in the Hastings office. "We're glad Mother Nature is keeping everybody safe -- again showing the unpredictability of the weather."

Between five and 10 tornadoes usually hit the office's coverage area between Jan. 1 and June 30, Kisner said.

The weather service has calculated there's a 3-1 chance a tornado will occur in Nebraska during this period.

Tornadoes are especially common in the 30-county area because they are in the northern part of Tornado Alley, a tornado-prone region stretching from West Texas to North Dakota.

I'd blame it on global warming, but the environwackos tell us global warming only causes bad weather.