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.

In 2024, tornadoes resulted in approximately 1.7 billion U.S. dollars worth of damage across the United States. 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."

This table contains the number of tornadoes by month for the United States. Each month also has summary statistics for fatalities, injuries, magnitude, and crop loss. 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.

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

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.

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. Accuracy or probability of detection (POD) is the percentage of time a tornado actually occurred in an area that was covered by a tornado warning. The difference between the accuracy percentage figure and 100% represents the percentage of events occurring without warning. 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.

Historical tornado records for Erie County, Pennsylvania from 1950 to present.

In 2024, there were a total of 52 fatalities reported due to tornadoes in the United States, down from 86 fatalities in the previous year. The highest figure reported in the U.S. since 1995 was in 2011, when tornadoes caused 553 fatalities.

Historical tornado records for Delaware from 1950 to present.

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.

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.

Historical tornado records for Arizona from 1950 to present.

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.

Currently filtered for Storm Date is after 12/1/2023Purpose: This is a feature layer of tornado swaths for the NWS Damage Assessment Toolkit.The National Weather Service (NWS) Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT) has been utilized experimentally since 2009 to assess damage following tornadoes and convective wind events. The DAT is a GIS-based framework for collecting, storing, and analyzing damage survey data, utilizing the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale for the classification of damage. Data collected from individual locations via mobile device are transmitted to a central geospatial database where they are quality controlled and analyzed to assign the official EF rating. In addition to the individual point, the data are analyzed to generate track centerlines and damage swaths. High resolution satellite imagery and radar data, through partnership with the NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition Center, are also available to aid in the analysis. The subsequent dataset is then made available through a web-based graphical interface and GIS services.Here is the full REST service: https://services.dat.noaa.gov/arcgis/rest/services/nws_damageassessmenttoolkitGeoplatform website: https://communities.geoplatform.gov/disasters/noaa-damage-assessment-toolkit-dat/More InformationWelcome to the National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit. Data on this interface is collected during NWS Post-Event Damage Assessments. While the data has been quality controlled, it is still considered preliminary. Official statistics for severe weather events can be found in the Storm Data publication, available from the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) at: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html Questions regarding this data can be addressed to: parks.camp@noaa.gov.

Experience the attraction 'Blue Tornado' anew! Perfectly plan with statistics from December 2024 on waiting times or queue times and weather data.

Financial overview and grant giving statistics of Tornado Watch

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.

This is software and data to support the manuscript "Long term temporal trends in synoptic-scale weather conditions favoring significant tornado occurrence over the central United States," which is under review with PLOS One. The software includes all code that is necessary to follow and evaluate the work. Additional public datasets include tornado data from the Storm Prediction Center (http://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/#gis), MERRA-2 reanalysis data (https://doi.org/10.5067/VJAFPLI1CSIV), North American Regional Reanalysis data (https://psl.noaa.gov/data/gridded/data.narr.html), Global Wind Oscillation data (https://psl.noaa.gov/map/clim/gwo.data.txt), and the Nino 3.4 index.(https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/detrend.nino34.ascii.txt).

This map layer shows tornado tracksin the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, from 1950 to 2013. Statistical data were obtained from the National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center (SPC).