Austin-American Statesman > Weather Watch > Archives > 2008 > February > 29 > Entry
Texas tops nation in dangerous weather, study says
Texas is No. 1 in the nation in many types of severe weather, according to a report released today as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, which ends tomorrow.
According to the report from the Governor’s Division of Emergency Management, Texas generally leads the nation in the number of tornadoes each year. Since 1950, the state has averaged 139 tornadoes per year — a total of 7,319 since 1953. Texas also sees the most fatalities, injuries and damage associated with tornadoes — including 504 deaths since 1953 — the report says.
The state usually leads the nation in flash flood deaths per year, the report says. Texas had 45 flood-related deaths in 2007.
Texas is second in the nation in lightning fatalities, behind Florida, according to the report.
Texas is most often struck by thunderstorms, hail storms, straight line winds and tornadoes during the spring and early summer, the report says.
Comments
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By Angie
March 3, 2008 4:32 PM | Link to this
Wilbur Varela: HELLFIRE?? Are you crazy??? Let's talk about what we're doing to our environment, not our evil fornicating ways!
By Luke Metzger
March 3, 2008 9:06 AM | Link to this
Our report "When it rains, it pours" found that extreme downpours are 28% more frequent in Texas than sixty years ago, which is consistent with scientific predictions about global warming.
http://www.environmenttexas.org/newsroom/global-warming/global-warming-campaign-news/new-report-extreme-downpours-up-28-percent-in-texas
By Jan Payne
March 2, 2008 7:47 PM | Link to this
I think Mr Harris incorrectly identified Kansas as KN in his comment. Kansas' abbreviation is KS
By John Harris
March 2, 2008 3:24 PM | Link to this
Top 5 states with highest incidence of tornadoes (average per year, 1950–2004)
Trnds Size(sm) T/sm*1000
TX 134 268,601 0.499
OK 58 69,903 0.830
KN 56 82,282 0.681
FL 51 65,758 0.776
NE 43 77,358 0.556
So Texas has the least per area at 0.499 tornadoes per square mile times 1000., Oklahoma the most at 0.830.
By Johnny Hughes
March 2, 2008 9:17 AM | Link to this
Texas is the largest, except for Alaska. That is it! That is the reason there are more storms, because there is more Texas.
Johnny Hughes
By txasslm
February 29, 2008 10:09 PM | Link to this
>> Unbelievable how thick some people are...
no, alan, it's not. i've known a number of adjusters who fit your mold.
i'm sorry my point was too subtle. whether the state is 1 or 100 square miles, if it still suffers $100 million in property damage due to a tornado, those losses are still within that state and must be paid accordingly.
as far as our great population goes and the potential for loss of life, life insurance rates in texas are as low or lower than any other state in the u.s.
if homeowner and other property insurance rates are too high, perhaps it's because adjusters are sending in loss reports to their companies that have inflated and inaccurate values on them.
By Alan
February 29, 2008 9:53 PM | Link to this
txasslm:
"population, geography and size have nothing to do with calculation of premiums or with calculation of losses"
"texas rates have to do with only one thing: property losses damaged versus premiums that are paid in."
Duh, txasslm - ever think that because of the sheer size of Texas and its large population, the number of INCIDENCES is HIGHER, as is the total premiums that are paid in? DUH! Unbelievable how thick some people are...
By txasslm
February 29, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this
someone wrote: "These figures forget to remove geographic size or population figures in to the comparision. Thus from an insurance point of view, this doesn't justify higher rates."
you've missed the point (or perhaps don't know it). population, geography and size have nothing to do with calculation of premiums or with calculation of losses. whether texas is 100 square miles or its real 268,820 square miles, the rates that are charged to texans are determined by losses WITHIN texas. texas rates have to do with only one thing: property losses damaged versus premiums that are paid in.
(p.s. that also applies to health insurance. don't make this stuff too complicated; it's not rocket science.)
By Wilbur Varela
February 29, 2008 9:03 PM | Link to this
God has singled Texas out as punishment for it's evil fornicating ways by low down despicable men and women of ill repute. The weather is nothing like the hellfire that will descend on this state if we don't get our act together.
By Les Izmore
February 29, 2008 5:11 PM | Link to this
Anyone have an extra umbrella?
By Bluefox
February 29, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
What? Nobody's going blame global warming? lol. Stephen's comment makes perfect sense.
By Trish
February 29, 2008 3:58 PM | Link to this
Texans are also being gouged to death over hurricanes that didn't happen in Texas. Any excuse to make us pay some of the highest insurance rates in the nation. Of course, we pay one of the highest electric rates,too, so what else is new ?
By Stephen
February 29, 2008 3:46 PM | Link to this
Hawk,
First...trying hitting that CAPS button. Second...Kansas is a small state so people who live in Kansas are likely to experience each severe weather event that hits the state. Texas on the other hand is huge and we could have bright sunny weather here while Dallas, Houston, or even the Panhandle are getting pounded.
Just by the sheer square mileage that this state covers, it proximity to both the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific Ocean, and its location at the bottom of "Tornado Alley", Texas will usually lead or be near the top of all severe weather reports.
By Mike
February 29, 2008 3:44 PM | Link to this
This is only about half correct. While we might have more tornado, flood, and lightning deaths than most other states, we do have more square miles and population in our state than most of these other states.
The risk of dangerous weather death per the average Texian is lower than that of other high incident states.
These figures forget to remove geographic size or population figures in to the comparision. Thus from an insurance point of view, this doesn't justify higher rates.
While Texas Emergency responders do have to respond to more events than other states, this again is spread across more groups - once again size does matter.
Sounds like they are looking to get your attention.
By hawk
February 29, 2008 3:15 PM | Link to this
THANK THE GOVENOR FOR GIVING THE INSURANCE COMPANIES ANOTHER REASON TO JACK UP INSURANCE RATES. I GREW UP IN KANSAS AND THERE WERE MANY MORE SEVERE STORM RELATED EVENTS THAN IN TEXAS.
By Alan
February 29, 2008 2:55 PM | Link to this
I can vouche for this story. As a Insurance Agent for 24 years in Tyler, Texas, I have seen what mother nature has wrought and we have got the highest Homeowner's Insurance Premiums to match.