Would there be severe thunderstorms over North America if the Gulf of Mexico were filled with land?

Study looks at why North America is the global tornado hot spot More at
https://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=303417&WT.mc_id=USNSF_1
This is a Research News item.

Source: NSF Discoveries - September 9, 2021 Category: Science Source Type: research