They say you can prove anything with statistics. The numbers can be manipulated to prove just about any point you want to make. Such is often the case with weather events. Pick up the newspaper or turn on the news and it seems like we are hearing about one weather catastrophe after another. Tornadoes, monsoons, huge hailstorms, flash flooding: is this the end of the world as we know it?

It's a small world today compared to 20 years ago. News from the far corners of the world can now be relayed around the globe in a matter of minutes. So any natural event will be reported, and chances are good the report will come complete with pictures or home video. The same can be said about tornado statistics. Spring and summer are filled with images of tornadoes captured by amateur photographers. Where did all these twisters come from? It must be result of global warming!

The Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma recently presented some interesting statistics on tornadoes. The 1990s were the biggest decade for tornado occurrences, but that doesn't mean more tornadoes were suddenly dropping from the clouds.

Two huge events took place in the 1990s that raised the count of the number of tornado sightings. First the national network of National Weather Service Doppler radars was fully launched. These huge, multi-million dollar radars are extremely sensitive and able to spot rotation in storm clouds much easier and clearer than prior radars. The result was that small tornadoes, which previously may have gone undetected, were now being detected by the new radars.

The second important event during the 1990s was the movie "Twister." It was a fairly inaccurate Hollywood depiction of science, but it sparked the interest of the general public. There was a sudden rise in tornado spotters and storm chasers. They carried video cameras and they sought out every corner of the Great Plains in spring and summer. Once again, more previously undetected tornadoes were being recorded.

More major metropolitan areas are being hit by tornadoes. Miami, Houston, Nashville, even St. Francis/Cudahy were recent victims of tornadoes. Aren't twisters supposed to stay away from large cities? Aren't those big, tall buildings responsible for breaking up the storms before they arrive? And what about Lake Michigan? Isn't that large body of water guarding us against tornadoes?

No, metropolitan areas are expanding. Cities reach out farther than ever before. Tornadoes don't care. They roll on regardless of the nearness of Lake Michigan or the height of a skyscraper. Expanded metro areas are just getting in the way of the twister.

The good news from the Storm Prediction Center is tornado fatalities are going down. Back in the 1970s, tornadoes occurred with only 43 percent of the tornado watches issued. Today that number has increased to 55 percent. When people hear that a watch is issued, they now know that tornadoes are likely. And the public has become more educated about tornadoes and severe storms.

So perhaps the world isn't coming to an end, even though the number of tornadoes continues to grow. There are just more of us who seek them out. It's getting harder for a twister to hide from the camera lens of the storm chaser or the pulse of the Doppler radar.

Watch Vince Condella on Fox 6 Sunday through Thursday at 5, 6 , 9 and 10 p.m. You can see the FOX 6 weather forecast around the clock at www.fox6milwaukee.com