The United States experienced a significant surge in tornado activity in 2024, with 1,910 reported across the country. This marked a substantial increase from previous years, highlighting the unpredictable nature of these violent atmospheric phenomena. Fatalities and economic impact While tornado frequency increased, the death toll from such events remained relatively low compared to historical peaks. In 2023, 86 fatalities were reported due to tornadoes, a notable increase from the 23 deaths in 2022 but far below the 553 lives lost in 2011. Moreover, the economic impact of these storms was substantial, with tornado damage in 2023 amounting to approximately 1.38 billion U.S. dollars, nearly doubling from the previous year. However, this pales in comparison to the record-setting damage of 9.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2011. Comparison to other extreme weather events While tornadoes pose significant risks, hurricanes have historically caused more extensive damage and loss of life in the United States. Hurricane Katrina in 2005 remains the costliest tropical cyclone in recent decades, with damages totaling 200 billion U.S. dollars when adjusted to 2024 values. The impact of such extreme weather events extends beyond immediate destruction, as evidenced by the 1,518 hurricane-related fatalities recorded in 2005. As climate change continues to influence weather patterns, both tornado and hurricane activity may see further shifts in frequency and intensity in the years to come.

The graph illustrates the number of tornado-related fatalities in the United States from 2008 to 2024. The x-axis represents the years, abbreviated from ’08 to ’24, while the y-axis shows the number of deaths each year. Fatalities range from a low of 10 in 2018 to a peak of 553 in 2011. Most years have fatalities between 18 and 126, with notable exceptions in 2020 (76 deaths), 2021 (101 deaths), and 2023 (83 deaths). The data is presented in a bar graph format, highlighting the significant spike in fatalities in 2011 and the overall variability in tornado-related deaths over the 16-year period.

Texas was the state with the highest number of reported tornadoes in the United States in 2024, with 169 disasters reported. Iowa followed second, with 131 tornadoes reported. The same year, the number of tornadoes in the U.S. increased relative to previous years, with 1,910 reported in the country.

In 2023, there were a total of 86 fatalities reported due to tornadoes in the United States, up from 23 fatalities in the previous year. This was the lowest figure reported in the North American country since 2018, when a total of 10 lives were lost due to tornadoes. On the other hand, the highest figure reported in the U.S. since 1995 was in 2011, when tornadoes caused 553 fatalities.

This table contains a summary of the number of tornadoes by year for the United States. The table also provides summary statistics for fatalities, injuries, magnitude, and crop losses by hour. The data should be downloaded and used in a spreadsheet program like Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets. Data is derived from Tornado data from the National Weather Service.

In 2023, tornadoes resulted in approximately 1.38 billion U.S. dollars worth of damage across the United States. This was an increase of almost 95 percent in comparison to the previous year. The North American country's economic damage caused by tornadoes peaked in 2011, at nearly 9.5 billion U.S. dollars. That same year, the number of fatalities due to tornadoes in the United States was also the highest.

Tornado TracksThis feature layer, utilizing data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), displays tornadoes in the United States, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands between 1950 and 2024. A tornado track shows the route of a tornado. Per NOAA, "A tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Because wind is invisible, it is hard to see a tornado unless it forms a condensation funnel made up of water droplets, dust and debris. Tornadoes can be among the most violent phenomena of all atmospheric storms we experience. The most destructive tornadoes occur from supercells, which are rotating thunderstorms with a well-defined radar circulation called a mesocyclone. (Supercells can also produce damaging hail, severe non-tornadic winds, frequent lightning, and flash floods.)"EF-5 Tornado Track (May 3, 1999) near Oklahoma City, OklahomaData currency: December 30, 2024Data source: Storm Prediction CenterData modifications: Added field "Date_Calc"For more information: Severe Weather 101 - Tornadoes; NSSL Research: TornadoesSupport documentation: SPC Tornado, Hail, and Wind Database Format SpecificationFor feedback, please contact: ArcGIScomNationalMaps@esri.comNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationPer NOAA, its mission is "To understand and predict changes in climate, weather, ocean, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources."

Context

This data set contains the number of confirmed tornadoes for each state for each year and their responding affects.

Content

Current table includes number of confirmed tornadoes in each state for each year from 1951 to 2019. Future datasets will be related to Fujita/Enhanced Fujita rank, total damage (reported and inflation corrected), and fatalities/injuries. Data is from National Centers for Environmental Information's Storm Events Database.

Inspiration

I am curious about the trend of sever weather occurring in the United States over time. This started with tornadic events but will evolve to severe thunderstorm and hail events as well.

Tornado Warnings are issued to enable the public to get out of harm’s way and mitigate preventable loss. NWS forecasters issue approximately 2,900 Tornado Warnings per year, primarily between the Rockies and Appalachian Mountains. Tornado Warning statistics are based on a comparison of warnings issued and weather spotter observations of tornadoes and/or storm damage surveys from Weather Forecast Offices in the United States. Lead Time (LT) for a Tornado Warning is the difference between the time the warning was issued and the time the tornado occurred (based on certified reports) in minutes, assuming the tornado tracked within the bounds of the warned area. Lead Times for all tornado occurrences within the U.S. are averaged to get this statistic for a given fiscal year. This average includes all warned events with zero lead times and all unwarned events. Lead Time is calculated down to the minute for individual Tornado Warnings and tornadic events. Although the timing of the warning transmission is recorded to the nearest second, typically there is only an estimate to the nearest minute of when a tornado touches down. Additionally, even though we can compute the average tornado warning lead time to a precision of 30 second increments or less, the reporting of this value implies greater accuracy in the data based on scientific and logistical restrictions on tornado reporting and surveying. Most tornadoes cannot be visually tracked from beginning to end and post-storm damage surveying is the official method with which the NWS categorizes tornado characteristics (intensity, path length & width) but must rely on radar data to estimate the timing of the tornado track.

A database of verified tornado tracks across Canada has been created covering the 30-year period from 1980 to 2009. The tornado data have undergone a number of quality control checks and represent the most current knowledge of past tornado events over the period. However, updates may be made to the database as new or more accurate information becomes available. The data have been converted to a geo-referenced mapping file that can be viewed and manipulated using GIS software.

Tornadoes, sometimes called twisters, are high-speed columns of rotating air connecting a thunderstorm to the ground. These storms vary greatly in size and strength, and are difficult for scientists to predict. The average tornado damage path is about one and a half to three kilometers (one to two miles) with a width of 45 meters (50 yards); however, some paths can stretch more than 160 kilometers (100 miles) and have widths greater than three kilometers (two miles).

Tornado paths are so small and unpredictable, local National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices usually only have about 14 minutes to alert residents with a tornado warning before the storm reaches them. Because of this, the NWS issues tornado watches over a large area to warn residents a tornado could form in their vicinity hours before one can touch the ground.

Tornadoes only form when a thunderstorm has a certain combination of winds. As winds at varying speeds and directions cause rising air to start spinning, warmer air continues to rise and cooler air begins to sink to the ground. Once there are enough rising and sinking gusts of wind, the air near the ground begins to rotate. The rotating air throughout the tornado eventually speeds up to spin around one axis and begins to move horizontally across the land. Most tornadoes originate from supercell thunderstorms in which there are drastic differences in air temperatures and wind speeds, but not all supercell thunderstorms produce tornadoes.

Tornadoes occur in many parts of the world, including Australia, Europe, Africa, South America, and Asia; however, about 75 percent of the world’s known tornadoes have formed in the United States. About 1,200 tornadoes hit the U.S. every year. Although tornado season refers to the time of year when the United States sees the most tornadoes, peak tornado season varies across regions of the U.S. The southern Plains experience peak tornado season from May to early June, the Gulf coast from March to April, and the northern Plains and upper Midwest see the most tornadoes in either June or July. Even though there are times of the year when tornadoes are most prominent, they can occur at any time given the right weather conditions.

To assess the wind speeds of a tornado, the NWS implemented the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale), a set of wind estimates based on the intensity of damage from structures in the path of the storm. Because buildings have varying structural integrity, the EF Scale incorporates 28 damage indicators, such as building type (for example, barn, school, motel, or shopping mall), structures (for example, gas station canopy, mobile home, or transmission line tower) and trees (for example, hardwood or softwood). These damage indicators are then given a damage rating between 1 and 8, in which 1 = no damage and 8 = completely destroyed. From the values given for each damage indicator, the NWS derives an EF number between 0 and 5 that estimates the overall intensity of the tornado.

EF-0: Gale winds with speeds between 105 and 137 kmph (65-85 mph) EF-1: Moderate winds with speeds between 138 and 177 kmph (86-110 mph) EF-2: Significant winds with speeds between 178 and 217 kmph (111-135 mph) EF-3: Severe winds with speeds between 218 and 266 kmph (136-165 mph) EF-4: Devastating winds with speeds between 267 and 322 kmph (166-200 mph) EF-5: Incredible winds with speeds over 322 kmph (200 mph)

Do you have tornadoes where you live? Learn How to Stay Safe from Tornadoes!

This map layer features U.S. tornado track data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration between 1980 and 2022. This very large dataset has been filtered to visualize large and violent tornado tracks from EF-3 to EF-5 tornadoes that occurred between 2000 and 2017.

Want to learn more about tornadoes? Check out Forces of Nature.

Tornado paths and starting/touchdown points in Oakland County, Michigan circa 1953-2015. Data provided by NOAA, OCIT, and Matt Malone of Farmington Hills GIS. Originally published as April 2017 Map of the Month

This table contains a summary of the number of tornadoes by hour (24 hour time) for the United States. The table also provides summary statistics for fatalities, injuries, magnitude, and crop losses by hour. The data should be downloaded and used in a spreadsheet program like Excel, Numbers, or Google Sheets. Data is derived from Tornado data from the National Weather Service.

In November 2022, there were ** small-scale tornadoes or angin puting beliung occurring in Indonesia, down from ** in October 2022. Angin puting beliung has winds of between *** to *** km/h and usually occurs during the transition period from rain season to dry season. Rain season in Indonesia is from November to March.

A database of verified tornado occurrences across Canada has been created covering the 30-year period from 1980 to 2009. The data are stored in a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, including fields for date, time, location, Fujita Rating (intensity), path information, fatalities, injuries, and damage costs. In cases where no data were available, values in the database have been left blank. The tornado data have undergone a number of quality control checks and represent the most current knowledge of past tornado events over the period. However, updates may be made to the database as new or more accurate information becomes available. The database has also been used to produce PNG images and an interactive KML file that can be viewed using Google Earth.

Scroll down to view all tornado events or use the navigation above to jump to a particular tornado event. This overview map on the right shows all of the tornado events for the entire year.Click on a rating location within the map to see details, including damage pictures for some locations.Total number of tornadoes in 2019 as of December 31, 2019 for the NWS Tulsa area of eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas:Total number of tornadoes: 69EF-0: 21 | EF-1: 38EF-2: 5 | EF-3: 0EF-4: 0 | EF-5: 0EF-Unknown: 5

This data set contains Tornadoes that occurred in Tennessee between 1950 and 2017. The data was downloaded from the NWS Storm Prediction Center.Column Names and Definitions from the NWS (pdf)om - Tornado number - A count of tornadoes during the y ear: Prior to 2007, these numbers were assigned to the tornado as the information arrived in the NWS database. Since 2007, the numbers may have been assigned in sequential (temporal) order after event date/times are converted to CST. However, do not use "om" to count the sequence of tornadoes through the year as sometimes new entries have come in late, or corrections are made, and the data are not re-sequenced.NOTE: Tornado segments that cross state borders and/or more than 4 counties will have same OM number. See information about fields 22-24 below.yr - Year, 1950-2017mo - Month, 1-12dy - Day, 1-31date - Date - in format yyyy-mm-dd formattime - Time - in format HH:MM:SStz - Time Zone - All t imes, except for ?=unkown and 9=GMT, were converted to 3=CST. This should be accounted for when building queries for GMT summaries such as 12z- 12z.st - State - Two letter postal abbreviation (PR=Puerto Rico. VI=Virgin Islands)stf - State FIPS Number - Note some Puerto Rico codes are incorrectstn - State Number - number of this tornado, in this state, in this year: May not be sequential in some years. Note: discontinued in 2008. This number can be calculated in a spreadsheet by sorting and after accounting for border crossing tornadoes and 4+ county segments.f - F-Scale - F-scale (EF-scale after Jan. 2007): values -9, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (-9=unknown).inj - Injuries - when summing for state totals use sn=1, not sg=1 (see below)fat - Fatalities - when summing for state totals use sn=1, not sg=1 (see below)loss - Estimated property loss information - Prior to 1996 this is a categorization of tornado damage by dollar amount (o or blank-unknown; 1<$50, 2=$50-$500, 3=$500-$5,000, 4=$5,000-$50,000; 5=$50,000-$500,000, 6=$500,000-$5,000,000, 7=$5,000,000-$50,000,000, 8=$50,000,000-$500,000,000; 9=$5,000,000,000) When summing for state total use sn= 1, not Sg=1 (see below). From 1996, this is tornado property damage in millions of dollars. Note: this may change to whole dollar amounts in the future. Entry of 0 does not mean $0.closs - Estimated crop loss in millions of dollars (started in 2007). Entry of 0 does not mean 0$Tornado database file updated to add "fc" field for estimated F-scale rating in 2016. Valid for records altered between 1950-1982. slat - Starting latitude in decimal degreesslong - Starting longitude in decimal degreeselat - Ending latitude in decimal degreeselon - Ending longitude in decimal degreeslen - Length in mileswid - Width in yardsns, sn, sg - Understanding these fields is critical to counting state tornadoes, totaling state fatalities/losses. The tornado segment information can be thought of as follows:ns - Number of States affected by this tornado: 1, 2, or 3.sn - State Number 1 or 0 (1=entire track info in this state)sg - Tornado Segment number: 1, 2, or -9 (1 = entire track info)1,1,1 = Entire record for the track of the tornado (unless all 4 fips codes are non -zero).1,0,-9 = Continuing county fips code information only from 1,1,1 record, above (same om).2,0,1 = A two-state tornado (st=state of touchdown, other fields summarize entire track).2,1,2 = First state segment for a two-state (2,0,1) tornado (state same as above, same om).2,1,2 = Second state segment for two-state (2,0,1) tornado (state tracked into, same om).2,0,-9 = Continuing county fips for a 2,1,2 record that exceeds 4 counties (same om).3,0,1 = A three-state (st=state of touchdown, other fields summarize entire track).3,1,2 = First state segment for a three-state (3,0,1) tornado (state same as 3,0,1, same om).3,1,2 = Second state segment for three-state (3,0,1) tornado (2nd state tracked into, same om as 3,0,1 record).3,1,2 = Third state segment for a three-state (3,0,1) tornado (3rd state tracked into, same om as the initial 3,0,1 record).f1 - 1st county FIPS codef2 - 2nd county FIPS codef3 - 3rd county FIPS codef4 - 4th county FIPS codefc - fc = 0 for unaltered (E)F - scale rating. fc = 1 if previous rating was -9 (unknown)

Historical tornado records for Teller County, Colorado from 1950 to present.

Historical tornado records for Monroe County, Michigan from 1950 to present.

The October 2010 tornado outbreak was the largest in Arizona history and was also notable for producing the highest count of tornadoes ever in a single event that took place west of the Continental Divide. At least nine tornadoes were recorded during the morning hours of October 6, 2010. The most active time was from 4:00 AM - Noon MST. The National Weather Service office in Flagstaff issued 28 Tornado Warnings, 25 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, and 1 Flash Flood Warning during this event. Multiple tornadic storms repeatedly developed over the same locations in north-central Arizona, keeping the small area under a constant tornado threat for several hours. Large hail (up to baseball-sized) was reported. The duration, intensity, and number of tornadoes distinguished this event apart from any other event in history west of the Continental Divide and in Arizona.For a full event summary visit our event summary page: https://www.weather.gov/fgz/TornadoesOct2010 Sources: NCDC Storm Datahttps://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/choosedates.jsp?statefips=4%2CARIZONA