OHIO, USA — Life, like the weather, can change in an instant.
“Seeing the devastation was shocking. In a matter of 10 seconds, I went from cooking dinner to my whole house being gone,” Kayla Henson said. She lost her home when a deadly EF-3 tornado hit the Indian Lake community in March.
“You always say it can never happen to me,” she continued. “Like the odds of it happening, but they do happen.”
The odds that it will happen are greater than they used to be.
Ohio has been hit with 50 confirmed tornadoes since January, which is more than 2.5 times the 19 that hit the state in an average year. Since the 90s, the average number of tornadoes has almost doubled, and this year we’ve seen more in the spring than any other year on record.
“This year just the sheer number of severe weather events is unprecedented,” said 10TV Chief Meteorologist Jerry Martz.
For tornadoes to form, the atmosphere has to be warm and humid – conditions becoming increasingly common because of climate change.
"We're well ahead of the four average tornados that we have in the entire state. I think the increased heat and the increased humidity coming out of a mild winter certainly adds to that," Martz said.
Scientists have also noticed an eastward shift in tornado alley, which could be impacting the Buckeye state as evidenced by three record-breaking tornado seasons in Ohio in the last 15 years.
Years that start with high numbers of tornadoes usually end the same way.
"We are just beat down by the severe weather and we've got a long way to go," Martz said.
That means we’re likely to see severe storms this summer, and families should be vigilant and prepared.
“Your whole life can change in literally seconds,” Henson said. “Be prepared yourself in case this happens to you because it happens when you’re least expecting it.”