Why is tornadoes hitting the east coast of the USA?

The outbreak of tornadoes that tore across the Gulf and the East Coast Tuesday and Wednesday was unusual for two reasons. For one thing, the severe weather encompassed a significant swath of the country. For another, winter is the least likely time for tornadic thunderstorms.

Explanation:

The outbreak of tornadoes that tore across the Gulf and the East Coast Tuesday and Wednesday was unusual for two reasons. For one thing, the severe weather encompassed a significant swath of the country. For another, winter is the least likely time for tornadic thunderstorms.

And yet tornadoes are an expected part of life in the United States-especially in the multi-state area known as Tornado Alley. (Florida, too, sees a disproportionately high number of tornadoes, because of its frequent thunderstorms.) The United States gets more tornadoes, by far, than any other place on the planet. It averages about 1,250 twisters a year. Canada, which sees about 100 tornadoes per year, is a "distant second," according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.