Climatology of Tornadoes in New Jersey & Eastern Pennsylvania: An Overarching Analysis of Tornadoes in the Region and a Focused Study of Tropical Cyclone Tornadoes

Abstract

This thesis presents the climatology of tornadoes in New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. Using NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information database, analyses such as regions of elevated tornado risk, diurnal, monthly, and annual trends, and frequency & intensity analyses are conducted. This thesis also delves into Tropical Cyclones (TC) and associated tornado outbreaks in the region. Using NEXRAD’s data inventory and NOAA’s Weather and Climate Toolkit, tornadoes and their associated storms are analyzed in the areas of lifetimes, intensity, and storm structure in order to gain an understanding of TC tornadoes in the region. The efforts in this thesis are made to gain specific knowledge and insights about tornadoes in this area to aid forecasting based on tornadic precedents.