ZWF: Tornado season is evolving
Zander's Weekend Facts #119: Sunday, May 19, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! Episode 137 features a preview of the NBA Playoffs with Zander’s Facts senior NBA analyst Hill Billy. Download the Zander’s Facts podcast wherever you get your podcasts!
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, May 19, 2024:
What Zander’s been reading
The spring has brought an unusually active tornado season in the U.S. this year. (Probably because the sequel to the 1996 movie, Twister, is coming out later this year: Twisters.) 547 tornadoes were recorded from January through April this year, much higher than the 1991-2020 average of 338. And just in May, usually the peak of tornado season, a tornado outbreak produced 160 tornadoes over five days, the most of any outbreak since 2019.
However, there are two major trends taking shape over a time period much longer than just this year. One, more tornadoes are taking place on fewer days, meaning a higher number are occurring on the same day. And two, more and more tornadoes are forming in the Southeast as opposed to the Great Plains.
Check out this week’s featured article in Vox - Something weird is happening with tornadoes - (Apple News link)
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Trump Hush Money Trial: The testimony of former President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen highlighted Trump’s New York hush money trial last week. Cohen testified that he paid adult film actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 in order to ensure a story regarding her and Trump wouldn’t get out before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels testified the week prior that she had had sex with Trump in 2006. During the cross-examination, Trump’s attorneys accused Cohen of lying about a phone call he had with Trump regarding the payment. Cohen is expected to return to the stand on Monday, with prosecutors not expected to call any other witnesses.
Presidential Debates: The presumptive presidential nominees of the two major political parties agreed to participate in two presidential debates later this year in advance of the November 5 U.S. presidential election. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns announced they would attend a debate on June 27 hosted by CNN and another on September 10 hosted by ABC News. The debates will not be managed by the Commission on Presidential Debates, which had been hosting presidential debates since the 1988 election.
Slovakia Prime Minister: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times on Wednesday while greeting supporters after a government meeting in the town of Handlova. The suspect was arrested on the scene and appeared in court on Saturday. Fico is currently in a “serious but stable condition” after undergoing several procedures. Fico had been shot in the stomach and arm four times. Fico returned to office last year after having served as the country’s prime minister twice before, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2012 to 2018.
Credit Cards: Visa announced changes to how credit and debit cards will operate in the future last week. The changes include allowing banks to issue cards that are connected to multiple bank accounts, and allowing consumers to set criteria for which purchases on charged to which accounts. The result could be carrying fewer physical cards and making the 16-digit card numbers increasingly irrelevant. Visa also announced plans to allow debit or credit cards to be tapped on a smartphone to add the card to a mobile wallet or to complete a purchase.
Dow Jones: The Dow Jones Industrial Average, one of the most commonly followed stock market indexes, passed a milestone last week. The Dow crossed 40,000 points on Thursday, closing at 40,004 points on Friday. The index is currently up around 6% in 2024 and 21% year-over-year, with recent gains coming from economic optimism. Wall Street renewed its hopes for interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve after April inflation numbers showed year-over-year inflation tick down to 3.4%. Two other commonly followed indexes, the NASDAQ and S&P 500, are also up this year, with both having risen 11% in 2024.
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club
Here are the top headlines from the sports world in the Sporting Club:
NBA Playoffs: Two Game 7s finish out the Conference Semifinal round of the NBA Playoffs later today. At 3:30 pm ET on ABC, the New York Knicks host the Indiana Pacers with the winner advancing to face the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Finals. Game 1 of that series will be played on Tuesday at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. In the West, the Denver Nuggets will host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 8:00 pm ET on TNT. The winner will advance to the Western Conference Finals to face the Dallas Mavericks. Game 1 of that series will be played on Wednesday at 8:30 pm ET on TNT.
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Just one spot remains up for grabs in the Conference Final round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Florida Panthers will face the New York Rangers. That series will begin with Game 1 on Wednesday at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN. In the West, the Dallas Stars have already advanced to the Western Conference Finals after beating the Colorado Avalanche in six games. They will face the winner of the Vancouver Canucks-Edmonton Oilers series that is currently knotted up at 3-3. Game 7 of that series will air on Monday at 9:00 pm ET on ESPN. The start date of the Western Conference Finals, which will air on TNT, has not yet been determined.
PGA Championship: The final round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky begins later today with a star-studded leaderboard. After Saturday’s third round, Collin Morikawa and Xander Schauffele are tied at the top of the leaderboard at -15. Sahith Theegala sits just behind at -14, with Bryson DeChambeau, Viktor Hovland, and Shane Lowry at -13. Morikawa is looking for his third major championship and second PGA Championship crown. Schauffele is hoping to win his first major title. Coverage begins this morning at 10:00 am ET on ESPN, with CBS airing final round coverage at 1:00 pm ET. The Morikawa and Schauffele pairing will tee off at 2:35 pm ET, with a champion expected to be crowned around 7:00 pm ET.
Premier League Season Finale: The final games of the English Premier League season will be played later this morning at 11:00 am ET. All 20 clubs will be in action for their final games of the season, with all matches airing on Peacock. Arsenal and Manchester City are the only remaining clubs in the hunt for the league title, with City currently holding a two-point lead. If Manchester City win their match against West Ham, they will win the title. In order for Arsenal to win the title, they need to win and have Manchester City either lose or draw. Manchester City-West Ham will also air on NBC, with Arsenal’s home match against Everton airing on USA Network in addition to Peacock.
NFL Schedule Release: The NFL released the schedule for the 2024 regular season on Wednesday, setting the dates for all 272 games. Perhaps the most anticipated game of the season, the Super Bowl LVIII rematch between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, will be played on Sunday, October 20. The season opens on Thursday, September 5 with the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs hosting the Baltimore Ravens. The next night, the league’s first-ever game in Brazil will feature the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. This season will also mark the first time games are broadcast on Netflix, with the two Christmas Day games airing on the streaming service.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment! That includes the next episode of the Zander’s Facts Podcast, which comes out this Wednesday!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, May 26, 2024.
