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CARBONDALE — As memories of the Leap Day Tornado that hit Harrisburg eight years ago resurface, and as images of the Tuesday morning Nashville, Tennessee tornado flood the news, Illinois' state climatologist says the area known as Tornado Alley is shifting east.

+3 Harrisburg remembers Leap Day Tornado and its victims HARRISBURG — Former Mayor Eric Gregg promised the families of victims of the 2012 Leap Day Tornado in the days just after the tornado hit that…

Many who grew up in the region recall talks in school about the infamous portion of the United States where tornadoes were commonplace. However, Trent Ford, Illinois state climatologist with the State Water Survey at the University of Illinois, said Tuesday that this zone has shifted east. Where once the majority of tornado activity was relegated to places like Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas, he said, tornado activity has shifted over to Southern Illinois and northern Mississippi.

Ford said several studies over the last decade have confirmed the shift. Research also shows the storms aren’t just one-and-done systems. Researchers are seeing an increase in the region in tornado outbreaks — systems that spawn more than one tornado.

“The observations of tornadoes — most of the good observations going back to the late '80s, they are showing that trend,” Ford said.