Even meteorologists are baffled by the Midwestern tornado season

Illinois has had 207 tornadoes this year, more than any other place on Earth, and the count may still rise as officials finish storm assessments. That shatters the state's previous record of 142, set just two years ago, and marks the third straight year with more than 100 tornadoes in a state that historically averages about 50. Some of the twisters have flipped homes, torn through solar panel arrays, and knocked out power. Illinois and neighboring Indiana have now recorded the highest tornado activity since national tracking began in 1950, and states nearby, including Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, and Ohio, rank in the top ten this year too.

Meteorologists say tornado activity seems to be shifting east from the traditional "Tornado Alley" in the Great Plains toward the Midwest and Corn Belt. A warmer Gulf of Mexico is pumping more moisture into the atmosphere, fueling more thunderstorm-favorable days, especially in the east and southeast. But scientists say climate change doesn't appear to be causing more tornadoes overall — it's changing where and when they happen, and how many form on the days big outbreaks do occur. Better radar and satellite tools are also catching smaller tornadoes that would have gone uncounted in the past, muddying comparisons to prior decades.

For homeowners, the practical takeaway is that severe storm risk is showing up in places, like the Midwest, that haven't historically had to plan for it as much. If you live in this region, it may be worth checking your home insurance coverage and storm preparedness, since the areas seeing the sharpest increases aren't the ones traditionally associated with tornado risk.