With almost one more month of the hurricane season remaining, Mississippians are starting to gear up for another season of serious weather.

Nov. 30 marks the end of hurricane season for states lining the Gulf of Mexico. Nov. 1 is the start of tornado season in Mississippi and its neighboring states. Longtime Mississippi residents are very familiar with tornadoes. They hit with very little warning and are capable of causing widespread destruction. But many people tend to think of the twisters we get here as occasional events. Most of these storms, many believe, strike in the area known as “Tornado Alley,” an area that begins in north Texas and extends north through Oklahoma and Kansas.

But there is another tornado alley called the “Dixie Alley” by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — a six-state area that includes Mississippi and its neighboring states. And when it comes to tornadoes, Mississippi has some impressive statistics.

According to NOAA, the state averaged 43 tornadoes a year between 1991 and 2010; its peak period for storms is between October and November and most storms hit the area between 2 and 9 p.m. So far this year, according to the website U.S. Tornadoes.com, 39 tornadoes have hit the state.

And according to the website Tornado Project, Mississippi is second in the number of tornado deaths per 10,000 square miles, fifth in the number of “killer tornadoes,” sixth in the percentage of “killer tornadoes” based on the percent of storms, and eighth in the annual number of tornadoes per 10,000 square miles.

The 2015-16 tornado season resulted in 13 dead and 66 injured, with the majority of the deaths and injuries occurring in storms that hit before Christmas.

These tornado facts are more than a recitation of statistics and information. They are a warning to Mississippians about a dangerous season approaching and the need to be ready for emergencies. Tornado forecasting and predictions are getting better, but many of these storms form undetected by weather radar. And that means residents, just as they’ve done for hurricane season, need to pay attention to weather warnings when severe weather approaches and be ready to find a way to avoid danger.

Be aware and be ready, because no one wants to become a statistic to a storm.