Forecasters say a wetter-than-usual winter and a jet stream ripping over the part of the country known as “Tornado Alley” could lead to an active spring—perhaps starting with the strong twister that nicked a small western Oklahoma town Monday night.

As she surveyed damage from a storm that destroyed five homes and tore the roofs off several others in Hammon, Michelann Ooten of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said Tuesday, “It’s time to get ready.”

By early March, the United States typically will see 70-100 tornadoes but only 42 had been reported until Monday night’s Oklahoma tornado. During February, there was only one tornado nationwide.

Greg Carbin, the warning coordination meteorologist with the national Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., said, “No one would argue that we’re going to see a pretty good increase in the number of severe storms. But each year’s a little different. The number, magnitude, number of days are all very tentative at this point.”

(article and photo source: AP)