MYTH: Tornadoes are the biggest weather danger in the Great Plains and Midwest.

Editor/Photographer

TRUTH: In the United States, including in the Midwest and Great Plains regions, vehicle accidents on icy bridges and roads during winter precipitation kill and injure significantly more people annually than tornadoes.

Comparing 2008-2009 Average Annual Fatalities from Tornadoes [1] and Road Ice [2]
State	Tornado Fatalities [1]	Road Ice Fatalities [2]
Oklahoma	7	15
Kansas	2	14
Texas	0	19
Iowa	6	22
Missouri	11	20
Minnesota	1	27

Icy bridges caused mass casualty events in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex on February 11, 2021.

On December 15, 2016, bridges iced from freezing drizzle killed 3 and injured 81 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In that single day, bridge icing surpassed that entire year's tornado death and injury count for the whole state [1].

Visit the IcyRoadSafety.com to learn more about this hazard in more detail.

READ: More Weather Myths | Weather Library Home

Storm chaser and photographer Dan Robinson

About the Author: Dan Robinson has been a storm chaser, photographer and cameraman for 30 years. His career has involved traveling around the country covering the most extreme weather on the planet including tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, floods and winter storms. Dan has been extensively published in newspapers, magazines, web articles and more, and has both supplied footage for and appeared in numerous television productions and newscasts. He has also been involved in the research community, providing material for published scientific journal papers on tornadoes and lightning. Dan also holds an active Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA (Part 107) for commercial drone operation.