The small town of Enderlin, North Dakota, experienced America’s first EF5 tornado in more than a decade last June, a twister strong enough to rip bark from trees and blow a train off its tracks. Three people were killed and 10 homes destroyed by the tornado that was 12 miles wide and packed 200 mph winds.
The U.S. experienced 1,559 tornadoes last year, the fifth highest number on record. This year isn’t shaping up to be quite so severe partially due to a “super” El Niño, a climate pattern that forms near the equator and leads to stormier weather globally.
