article_snippet: The tornado season usually ramps up for parts of the U.S. in March, but until Tuesday — when a waterspout formed over an Arkansas lake — the U.S. hadn't had a tornado in more than a month.
article_snippet: Weather patterns this month funneled cold air into much of the country, depriving the atmosphere of the warm, moist air necessary for forming bad storms for most of the month.
article_snippet: Southerly winds pushed temperatures into the 70s and 80s across the Ozarks and Southern Plains, while weather fronts churned the air into Wednesday's storms.
article_snippet: Before this week, only about two dozen twisters had been recorded this year during a period when about 120 are typical.
article_snippet: The last time the U.S. had no twisters in March was nearly 50 years ago, according to figures from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.
highlights_snippet: The U.S. hadn't had a tornado in more than a month .
  
highlights_snippet: Tornado season usually amps up in March .