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Above: Images of a tornado in Florida, 2011

Forget everything you thought you knew about the Plains, because the people most vulnerable to deadly tornadoes live in Florida.

Those are the findings of the Southeast Regional Climate Center, presented by director Charles Konrad II at an American Meteorology Society meeting in Colorado last week. An analysis of the last 30 years of severe weather found Florida leads the nation in the number of deaths that occur per each mile a tornado is on the ground.

Tennessee is No. 2, while North Carolina, Ohio and Alabama round out the top five in tornado deaths per mile. Konrad said he believes Florida topped the list because the Sunshine State has several reasons why tornadoes are more risky, like mobile homes, the elderly and the poor.

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Still, parts of the Plains and Southeast are much more at risk for deadly, violent tornadoes, even if some statistics may suggest otherwise.

"'Deadliest' in this case is about the number of people in the way, and how sturdy their housing is, but the highest risk for violent tornadoes remains centered on the deep South, the central Plains and parts of the Midwest," said Carl Parker, severe weather specialist for The Weather Channel.

Though the findings mark 30 years of tornadoes, Florida has seen far fewer fatalities than several other states in recent years, which is making some meteorologists question the study's validity.

"From 2008 through June 16, 2014, there have been two tornado-related fatalities in Florida. In 2011 alone, 245 Alabamians lost their lives from tornadoes, and another 158 were killed in Joplin, Missouri, according to data from the Storm Prediction Center," said weather.com senior meteorologist Jon Erdman. "Florida's deadliest tornado outbreak claimed 42 lives in central Florida on Feb. 22-23, 1998."

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Konrad's work makes sense and fits with earlier research on tornado fatalities, said Florida State University meteorology professor James Elsner and Barb Mayes Boustead, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration meteorologist and tornado chaser.

Visibility is another problem for tornadoes in the Southeast. Because of atmospheric conditions, the region tends to get more tornadoes at night, making them harder to see, Konrad said. It also means some people may be asleep and miss warnings.

The South also has more trees and buildings to block the view of oncoming tornadoes, Konrad said. And they also tend to come from low-hanging clouds, making them harder to see.

Florida tends to get tornadoes more in the winter, while the Southeast tornado season is February through April, Konrad said. The Midwest generally sees them in the spring and summer.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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