Would we still have severe thunderstorms over North America if the Gulf of Mexico were filled in with land?

The eastern half of the U.S is one of the principal hot spots for severe thunderstorm activity, especially tornadoes, globally. The standard explanation for this outcome is the combination high terrain to the west and the Gulf of Mexico to the south. A new study largely overturns one half of this longstanding hypothesis.

from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210823170118.htm