Tornadoes Are More Powerful Than We Realize

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Residents of the Plains are preparing for a possible tornado outbreak this week as severe weather season revs up, and as recent history has taught us, the final week of April can be dangerous and deadly.

From 2010 to 2015, April 24-30 has seen at least one killer tornado in three of those six years, according to data kept by the Tornado History Project. The April 27, 2011, superoutbreak that killed 324 people skewed the numbers in one obvious direction, but the fact remains: The last week of April can be a very dangerous month for severe storms.

(MORE: Why April Is a Dangerous Month For Tornadoes)

In addition to the years shown in the infographic above, killer tornadoes also struck in 2007 and 2002, responsible for seven and six deaths, respectively. That means five of the first 16 years of this century have produced deadly twisters in the final week of April.

"April into May is a particularly active time for tornadoes," said weather.com meteorologist Chris Dolce. "Warm, moist air typically becomes more widespread near the earth's surface east of the Rockies while jet stream winds in the upper atmosphere are still strong. When those ingredients overlap, the atmosphere can become favorable for the formation of supercells that can spawn tornadoes."

The 16-year average for tornadoes from April 24-30 are about 65 nationwide, or nearly 10 per day. Again, the 364 twisters spawned during April 24-30, 2011 bump the average way up, but it still serves as a reminder that severe weather season is far from over, and it's best to know what to do if the next outbreak targets your region.

MORE ON WEATHER.COM: The 2011 Tornado Superoutbreak