Dixie Alley

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Dixie Alley is a nickname sometimes given to areas of the southern United States that are particularly vulnerable to strong or violent tornadoes. This is distinct from the better-known Tornado Alley. 'Dixie Alley' includes areas of the lower Mississippi Valley, in the states of Mississippi and Louisiana, and the upper Tennessee Valley of northern Alabama. Tornadoes are less frequent in these states than they are in the southern Plains. However, Alabama and Mississippi have reported more tornado fatalities than the Plains states (except for much-larger Texas). This is in part due to the relatively high number of long -tracked strong/violent tornadoes. According to the National Climatic Data Center, for the period 1st January 1950 to 31st October 2006, Alabama - along with Kansas - reported more F5 tornadoes than any other state. An F5 tornado is the most violent tornado - at the top of the Fujita Scale.