The following is an excerpt from a question and answer article that appeared   
   in the May 25th edition of the New York Times, for those of you who may be   
   wondering:   
      
   Question:  How bad has this year's tornado season been, relative to other   
   years?   
      
   Answer: Extraordinarily bad, even by historical standards. The death toll,   
   now at more than 480, is the highest since 1953, when an outbreak of   
   twisters across the Midwest and the Northeast claimed 519 lives. The high   
   death toll this year is all the more remarkable considering that early   
   warning systems are in place throughout tornado country, made possible by   
   the advent of Doppler radar. Many tornado experts believed that the advances   
   in technology had greatly diminished the risk of mass tornado fatalities.   
      
   "We never thought there'd be another year of deaths like this, with all our   
   warning systems," said Thomas P. Grazulis, a tornado historian.   
      
   Since 1875, there have been just 15 years with more than 360 tornado deaths,   
   and none since 1975. The single deadliest tornado year in the United States   
   was 1925, with 794 fatalities. This year now ranks eighth on the list of   
   deadliest tornado years.   
      
   The tornado that struck Joplin, Mo., on Sunday, with its death toll now   
   standing at 122, is the deadliest in recorded history. The second deadliest   
   was a twister that barreled through Flint, Mich., in 1953, killing 116.   
      
   -- John Collins Rudolf   
      
      
      
   Jeff Snyder, SysOp - Armageddon BBS  Visit us at endtimeprophecy.org port 23   
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