Today, we continue our look back at the 2004 U.S. Tornado Season. As we said yesterday, 2004 was a record year for tornadoes across the United States. Despite the record number of twisters, the number of fatalities from tornadoes was much lower than average. Only thirty five deaths were reported this season, which is in the top ten years for fewest deaths since 1940. The ten year average is sixty four fatalities in a given year.
There was no tornado fatality across the nation until April 20th. This marked a very late date for the first tornado fatality. We came very close to setting a new record for the latest occurrence of the first tornado fatality. The mark was set on April 21, 2002, Over fifty tornadoes were reported on April 20th, including an F3 tornado that struck North Utica, Illinois, about ninety miles southwest of Chicago. Eight people perished in the twister, trapped in the rubble of the Milestone Tap, a neighborhood tavern. It was the year’s deadliest twister. Illinois led the nation in tornado fatalities in 2004, with nine.

The eight fatalities in Utica occurred in a permanent building. Nine of the year’s fatalities occurred in permanent buildings. Fourteen occurred in mobile homes. Ten fatalities occurred in houses. Two people died in vehicles.

The 135 tornadoes observed in April were very close to the average for the month, which marks the traditional beginning of tornado season across the country. During the week of April 17-23, over one thousand reports of severe weather were received across the nation.

A warm, and humid airmass covered much of the Plains states in May. This led to lots of severe weather. A total of 526 tornadoes were reported during the month. This was nearly as many as the record for any single month set just one year ago in May 2003 when 543 tornadoes were observed. Only three of the 526 twisters resulted in fatalities. Only five people lost their lives in tornadoes during the month. A nighttime F4 tornado at Hallum, Nebraska on the 22nd killed one person. A high risk severe weather situation on May 29 resulted in ninety three tornado reports, including F4 that caused three deaths at Weatherly, Missouri. Once again there were no F5 tornadoes this year. There has been none since May 3, 1999. More tomorrow...

WEATHER FOR TRAVEL IN ALL DIRECTIONS FROM BIRMINGHAM
(Updated Saturday Morning)

I-65 NORTH TO NASHVILLE-LOUISVILLE
I-59 AND I-75 NORTH AND NORTHEAST TO KNOXVILLE
I-20 EAST TO ATLANTA-COLUMBIA
I-65 SOUTH TO MONTGOMERY-MOBILE
I-59 SOUTHWEST TO MERIDIAN-NEW ORLEANS
I-20 WEST TO JACKSON-SHREVEPORT-DALLAS-FORT WORTH
US 78 NORTHWEST TO HAMILTON-TUPELO-MEMPHIS

No threat of wintry precipitation along any of these routes today through Monday. Instead, unseasonable warmth. Highs will be in the lower 70s in most areas west and south of Birmingham and in the 60s elsewhere.

There will be showers with the best chance to the southwest, west, northwest and north of Birmingham....in places like Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Kentucky, Middle and West Tennessee.

Here are some interesting weather tidbits from all over on this New Year's Day

Todd Foisy, the ABC 33/40 Weather Watcher in Billings, Montana, reports snow drifts of 6 to 7 feet in the area with near zero temperatures.

* Downtown Los Angeles an additional 1.29 inches of rain in the last 24 hours. They have really caught it recently with significant flash-flooding due to a series of storms.

* 59 inches of snow at Graveyard Meadow, California. (How do you like that name That amount fell in only 48 hours. Of course, it is in the high country. There was 60 inches at Big Meadows.

* Tuscon reports the 11th wettest year on record for 2004.

* The latest storms produced a wind gust of 87 MPH on Mt. Baldy in the Wasatch Mountains of North Utah and 32 inches of snow on Timpanogos Divide east of Provo.

* Down in South Utah, 50 inches of snow at Midway Valley in Cedar Breaks National Monument. This is east of Cedar City...great place for photography.

* Warmest in the USA Friday was 84 at Laredo, Texas. Coldest this morning, not counting Alaska, was 11 below at Great Falls, Montana. One of the coldest places in Alaska was Northway with -29.

* It was 47 below at Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory of NW Canada.

* A warm 53 in New York City at mid-morning. Last night's New Year arrival in Timnes Square was the warmest on record. They expect a high today close to 60--a near record...but cooling off Sunday with a high of 40.