Tennessee Valley & Vicinity
A few cities include: Huntsville, Nashville and Tupelo.
Local tornado season: Peaks in April and May, secondary peak in November.
Terrain: Mostly forested with some hills and mountains.
Road network: Irregular with mostly curvy roads.
Radar coverage: Limited in a few areas, otherwise good.
Centered on Alabama and Mississippi, the Dixie tornado alley extends northward into the Tennessee Valley. Many strong, long-track tornadoes have affected this area over the years. While the tornado season can sometimes start as early as the winter months here, springtime tornadoes are the most common. There is even a secondary peak of tornadoes during the fall.
A common Dixie trait is that storms are usually fast-moving in the Tennessee Valley, racing at near or above highway speeds. Large hail sometimes occurs, but damaging winds and tornadoes are the more common hazards to be prepared for while storm chasing in the Tennessee Valley. Other Dixie storm traits apply here, including a tendency for high precipitation, low contrast storms.
Terrain
The terrain is a mixture of hills, forests, valleys and even a few mountains. Regardless if a specific area is flat or not, forests cover the vast majority of the region. This makes storm chasing and even just storm spotting difficult in most cases. With that said, forests are less dense in spots and with some research or experience; there are a few areas that may be conducive for storm chasing. Some areas with fewer trees include north-central Alabama and south-central Kentucky.
The southern tip of the Appalachian Mountains cuts into parts of eastern Alabama. The piedmont in northeastern Alabama, between two areas of mountains, has been a local hotspot for tornadoes. Terrain influences have likely played a role in a cluster of significant tornadoes forming in this area.
Road network
For roads, while most areas have a relatively dense road network, roadways tend to be full of twists and turns. There is an area in north-central Alabama, north and northwest of Huntsville, which does have a grid layout, right up to the Tennessee border. Since this is a relatively small area, a strategy for storm chasing here could be to stage in the area and wait for storm(s) to come to you.
Similarly to Lower Dixie, there are several interstate highways that criss-cross the Tennessee Valley. In the Nashville metro area alone, these include I-24, I-40, I-65, I-440 and I-840. Other interstates do exist elsewhere in the Tennessee Valley area and might be a good place to setup, in hopes to have a view of incoming storms.
Radar coverage
While there are several radar sites that overlap around the Tennessee Valley and vicinity, there is limited coverage between KNQA and KOHX. A corridor that falls on the fringe of radar coverage includes Florence, AL to Waynesboro and Lexington in Tennessee. Most other areas tend to have good radar coverage.
In summary, despite a broad storm season and frequent tornado events in this part of Dixie’s tornado alley, forested areas and irregular road networks make storm chasing tough here. There are a few exceptions, most notably a small portion of north-central Alabama.