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Dallas, Texas, USA
By Covington Doan
- Contact
- Brad Baker
- babaker@bdhs.org
- Software
- ArcView 3.2, ArcView Spatial Analyst, and Windows XP Pro
- Hardware
- Pentium 4 1.7
- Printer
- HP DesignJet 3500CP
- Data Source(s)
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, and ESRI
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The primary purpose of this project was to compare the jet stream seasonal average with the location of seasonal tornado hot spots. These maps were produced to assist disaster-related organizations, such as Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Red Cross, or insurance companies with information to help with resource allocation planning and to educate the public. The idea for this map project grew from the ESRI ArcLesson "Blown Away" by Dr. Tom Baker of Kansas Collaborative Research Network. The original lesson can be downloaded at www.esri.com/arclessons.
The objective was to have the GIS-1 students (10–12 grade) at Bishop Dunne High School generate and then analyze grids using ArcView Spatial Analyst 2. Other skills practiced involved querying and clipping shapefiles and grids.
From the maps presented there does appear to be a correlation between the seasonal average of the jet streams and the location of tornado hot spots. In most cases, the location of the jet stream average was helpful in identifying the northern edge of the hot spot zone. The maps also show the main hot spots of the country as the seasons change. The northern region, near the Canadian border, was at a higher risk of tornado activity during the summer months (May, June, and July). Areas in the central plains have a higher density during the spring (February, March, and April). Although the Gulf Coast region experiences 75 percent of its tornados during the spring and summer, the maps show that during the fall and winter seasons this area leads the country in tornado density.
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