Every year the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issues hundreds of severe thunderstorm watches and tornado watches throughout the entire contiguous United States. SPC Warning Coordination Meteorologist, Greg Carbin, has compiled a graphic that depicts the number of different type of watches by county for 2010. He went a step further to also calculate the deviation (anomaly) from the 1999 – 2008 normal. A couple of things stand out:

• Much of Oklahoma experienced at or below normal numbers of tornado watches, even though the state (unofficially) recorded the 3rd most number of tornadoes on record. (This is because of two large tornado outbreaks in May!)
• Portions of southern California and central Arizona experienced tornado watches this year (in October), even though the 10-year average is for less than 1 per year
• The central plains experienced an above normal number of severe thunderstorm watches
• Parts of western Louisiana and northern Florida did not record a single severe thunderstorm watch

What is the most interesting result to you?