This week, Consumer Affairs released its annual report on tornadoes using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) which has been tracking tornadoes in the United States since 1950.

The report, which includes information about tornadoes that occurred in 2023, is timely. In Mississippi, tornadoes are most common between March and May, with another surge in November, but if you have lived in the state any length of time you know that every month can be tornado season. You need only go back four years, to February 2019, to the EF3 tornado that swept through Lowndes County and Columbus as evidence of that.

Relatively speaking, 2023 was not a particular busy tornado year in the state, with 44 tornadoes. That still ranked 14th in the number of tornadoes by state.

Looking at the historical numbers, 2023 was a bit of an outlier, the lowest number of tornadoes in the state in 16 years. Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 3,227 tornadoes in Mississippi, but the frequency of tornadoes shown in the data reflects how climate change is making our state more susceptible to them. During the 73-periods reflected in the data, there have been six years when the number of tornadoes in the state hit triple figures. All six of the triple-digit tornadoes have come in the past 18 years. In 2022, a record 182 tornadoes touched down in Mississippi.

The cost of these weather disasters, both in property loss and loss of life, is sobering — $2.77 billion in property loss and 528 deaths since 1950. The property-loss dollars don’t reflect inflation, so the losses are far greater in today’s dollars.

The report should not be surprising to long-term Mississippi residents, but it does serve to remind us that tornadoes are a fact of life here rather than an odd occurrence. As we see the effects of climate change there is good reason to expect the worst and prepare accordingly.

While we are powerless to prevent the property damage that tornadoes produce, we can do some simple things to improve our chances of survival. If possible, people should go to a storm shelter. If that’s not an option, people should go into an interior room away from windows and cover themselves with mattresses. Those who live in mobile homes should seek any other shelter within reach. If you are driving, leave your car and find shelter, such as a highway underpass. It’s important to remember that most injuries are caused by flying debris, so any shelter is better than none at all.

All those tips come into play as the tornado arrives, but there are other things you can do now that will be of value, especially in the aftermath of a tornado. Among them:

■ Establish a meet-up place for your family in the event family members are not together at the time of the storm.

■ Assemble a tornado kit with non perishable food, water, medicines, first-aid products, flashlights, batteries and even an extra cell phone battery.

■ Compile a list that includes insurance policy numbers, contact numbers (in the event you lose cell coverage), and prescription information for medicines.

■ Keep personal records — birth certificates,driver’s licenses, social security cards and other identification, insurance policies — in an air-tight container somewhere you can retrieve them quickly.

These precautions will make recovery go faster, smoother and less complicated than it would otherwise be.

As the data shows, tornadoes can happen almost anytime, so if you haven’t put together a tornado plan, the time to do that is now.

The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.

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