With thunderstorms in the forecast through Thursday, there’s once again that potential for tornadoes, particularly here in the South.

Our region’s propensity for twisters was emphasized this week as the Weather Channel released its top 10 list of tornado-prone cities.

No. 2 on the list was Jackson, so you know where Brookhaven, Wesson, Monticello, Meadville and our surrounding communities probably stand in tornado-proneness.

Tipping the top of the Weather Channel’s list was Huntsville, Ala., with Birmingham coming in at No. 3, followed by Tuscaloosa at No. 4. Sweet Home Alabama can now stake its claim to tornado capital of the USA.

Little Rock came in at No. 5 on the list, with Tulsa, Okla., at No. 6: Oklahoma City at No. 7, Atlanta at No. 8, Wichita, Kan., at No. 9; and Nashville, Tenn., rounding things out at No. 10.

Seven of the top 10 cities are in the South, so our land of sweet tea and fried chicken has taken over the tornado pinnacle from the Kansas prairies, despite that state’s claim to fame as the home of Dorothy’s twister ticket to Oz.

The Weather Channel’s top 10 was based on the cable network’s Dr. Greg Forbes’ compilation of data from the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center for the years 1962 to 2011.

The final year of that period, 2011 can lay claim to the largest tornado outbreak in history, according to online data. That infamous outburst came during April 25-28, when monster tornadoes tore a path through Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Virginia.

During that reign of terror, I was living in Hoover, Ala., which qualifies as Greater Birmingham for all extents and purposes. Before the April 2011 four-day storm spree was finished, 358 tornadoes were reported in the U.S., according to National Weather Service data.

I’ve also had the pleasure of living in another of the top 10 tornado-prone cities, Tuscaloosa, but my stay there was well before the infamous April 27, 2011, twister hit Tide town.

However, I was in Tuscaloosa for another forever-memorable act of Mother Nature, the thundery blizzard of March 1993. About a foot of snow fell that night, but for all the world, it sounded like a good old-fashioned summer thunderstorm while it came down.

The Weather Service defines the peak season for tornados as April, May and June, so we are nowhere near to seeing the end of the worst time for these storms. Actually, they can occur any time of the year.

So it’s with a great deal of relief that residents of Homeseekers Paradise can look forward to having five tornado sirens going into place within a few months.

In mid-April, the Board of Alderman awarded a bid for installation of the storm warning system. City officials expect the sirens to be in place within several months.

The planned locations are:

– 906 Highway 51 S.

– the end of East Washington Street

– the corner of Field Lark Lane and Industrial Park Road

– the corner of Fender Trail and Manufacturers Boulevard

– the corner of Monticello Street and North Jackson.

With sirens spread out over pretty much the entire city, Brookhavenites should have no trouble knowing when dangerous weather threatens.

Mayor Les Bumgarner has said he hopes to see the sirens installed before he retires. With the general election taking place June 4, and the new board and mayor taking office July 1, the outgoing mayor just might get to dedicate the new warning system before he turns over the gavel to his successor.

Rachel Eide is editor/general manager of The Daily Leader. Contact her at rachel.eide@dailyleader.com.