Tornado Alley may be moving east, placing billions in business and supply chains at risk

The cluster of deadly storms that slammed the U.S. last weekend is the latest sign that tornado activity has waned in the Great Plains — historically known as "Tornado Alley" — while picking up in the southeastern U.S., a manufacturing-rich region that is increasingly critical to the nation's supply chain. 

"We've seen a shift, really — a decrease in the frequency in the Great Plains, which still gets a lot of tornadoes, but an increasing trend in places like Kentucky and Tennessee, Arkansas, Missouri and portions of the Midwest," Victor Gensini, an associate professor and leading researcher on severe weather, told CBSN. "And this is obviously a big deal for vulnerability."

It may take weeks before the final death toll from the tornadoes will be known. More than 70 deaths have been confirmed and dozens of people remain unaccounted for, Kentucky's governor said Monday. The severe weather and tornadoes affected seven other states, killing at least 12 additional people.