Tornadoes are one of the most unpredictable weather phenomena on Earth. Each year the United States, home to more tornadoes than any other country, sustains billions of dollars of damage, death, injuries, and disruption from the violent storms. But, according to the results of a research team led by Stephen Strader, a meteorologist and assistant professor in Villanova University’s Department of Geography and the Environment, the potential for annual tornado impact magnitude and disaster could triple by the end of the 21st century. While climate change may be an exacerbating factor for risk, an additional culprit, according to the study published in the journal Climatic Change, will be an increasing number of homes, structures, and developed land in tornado-prone regions such as the Central Plains and Southeast.