Analyzing Tornadoes and Volcanoes—Get the Facts with Wolfram|Alpha

It’s tornado season in some parts of the United States, and while longtime users of Wolfram|Alpha are probably aware of our ability to analyze earthquake data, we weren’t able to say much about tornadoes. Now, utilizing data from from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, Wolfram|Alpha can answer questions about tornado activity in the US from 1950 to 2012. For good measure, we’ve also added data on worldwide volcanic eruptions to our knowledge base.

Missouri receives a fair amount of tornado activity—St. Louis and its surroundings seem to experience an F1 tornado every year, and an F4 every few decades:

You can also query about tornadoes of a certain magnitude, within any particular region. For example:

With this upgraded functionality, you can ask about tornado activity over a specific range of dates. How many F5 tornadoes have occurred after 1950?

With additional data from NOAA’s database of significant volcanic events, you can also ask Wolfram|Alpha about volcanic activity in any “hot spot” in the world. For example, ask about a latitude, longitude, and a given radius:

Give a named location and a time frame:

Or make use of superlatives:

Whether your interest in volcanoes and tornadoes is mere curiosity or a sincere academic devotion, you can analyze them in detail with Wolfram|Alpha.