A new model from the University of Toronto Scarborough may forecast tornado activity months or seasons in advance by predicting how atmospheric conditions during a thunderstorm will affect the risk of a tornado forming.

Vincent Cheng, lead developer of the model, studied similar variables used by weather forecasters to better understand the trends and probabilities of tornadoes, according to a report in Zee News. His research found that there's a much higher risk of a tornado taking place when air rises quickly and wind speed drastically changes at various heights above the ground.