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 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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

Tornadoes are columns of air that spin at a high rate of speed. They are small in scale but can be very violent. The area affected by a tornado's passage is between about 40 and 400 metres in width and between 1.7 and 36 kilometres in length. During a tornado the damage is due to wind as well as an extremely sudden drop in pressure. Tornadoes vary in intensity, measured on the Fujita or F scale, graduated from 0 to 5 based on the level of damage. The main season for tornadoes is from April to October, and every province is subject to the risk of tornadoes. This layer shows some of the major tornadoes that happened in Canada since the beginning of the 20th century to 1999.

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.

Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data (HIFLD) geospatial data sets containing information on Historical Tornado Tracks.

This dataset represents data that was compiled from the United States severe report database (tornadoes 1950-2015).

This map layer shows tornado tracks in CONUS, Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico, from 1950 to 2015. Statistical data were obtained from the National Weather Service, Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

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.

TornadoesThis 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. 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 (May 22, 2011) near Joplin, MissouriData 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."

These tornado paths range from 1951 to 2010. They have been clipped from a national dataset to only include tornadoes within the Regional Resources Inventory boundary. The attributes contain the time, date, and intensity of the tornado while also providing some description of the destruction caused.

This is a database of tornadoes that have affected the Huntsville Forecast area this year. National Weather Service Storm Survey information regarding the tornadoes that occurred so far in 2025 within the NWS Huntsville County Warning Area (CWA). Included are storm survey damage points with pictures where available, tornado damage paths, and estimated damage swath information where applicable.

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.

Spatial model of Vermont tornado climatology. Models Vermont tornado events per long-term data collection (data date-range is January 1950 - February 2019). Provides access to Vermont tornado-event information.Data-source credit: NCEI (National Centers for Environmental Information) (https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/).Downloaded tornado-event data--in CSV format--from NCEI database on 06/06/2019. Data period is 01/1950-02/2019. Imported data to a geodatabase. Used beginning latitude/longitude values to spatially enable the data; 1 record was missing a beginning latitude/longitude (record w/ EVENT_ID = 10355004)--estimated beginning latitude/longitude of that event by referencing its EVENT_NARRATIVE. Removed fields so that fields focus on core event-info. Projected data to Vermont State Plane NAD83 meters. Moved narrative fields (EVENT_NARRATIVE and EPISODE_NARRATIVE) fields to a separate non-spatial table; those fields have lengthy contents that exceed the shapefile text-field limit--intention is to make them available in open-data portal as CSV table that is joinable to the feature class (via EVENT_ID field).Feature-Class Climate_VTTORNADOS_point FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:EVENT_ID: Unique ID assigned by NWS to note a single, small part that goes into a specific storm episode.BEGIN_DATE: Beginning date.TOR_F_SCALE: Enhanced Fujita Scale describes the strength of the tornado based on the amount and type of damage caused by the tornado. The F-scale of damage will vary in the destruction area; therefore, the highest value of the F-scale is recorded for each event.DEATHS_DIRECT: The number of deaths directly related to the weather event.INJURIES_DIRECT: The number of injuries directly related to the weather event.DAMAGE_PROPERTY_NUM: The estimated amount of damage to property incurred by the weather event. (e.g. 10.00K = $10,000; 10.00M = $10,000,000)DAMAGE_CROPS_NUM: The estimated amount of damage to crops incurred by the weather event. (e.g. 10.00K = $10,000; 10.00M = $10,000,000)TOR_LENGTH: Length of the tornado or tornado segment while on the ground (minimal of tenths of miles)TOR_WIDTH: Width of the tornado or tornado segment while on the ground (in feet)ENDING_LAT: Ending latitude (not available in all records).ENDING_LON: Ending longitude (not available in all records).Table Table_VTTORNADOS_Narratives FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:EVENT_ID: Unique ID assigned by NWS to note a single, small part that goes into a specific storm episode. Can join to EVENT_ID field of Climate_VTTORNADOS_point.EVENT_NARRATIVE: The event narrative provides more specific details of the individual event. The event narrative is provided by NWS.EPISODE_NARRATIVE: The episode narrative depicting the general nature and overall activity of the episode. The narrative is created by NWS. Ex: A strong upper level system over the southern Rockies lifted northeast across the plains causing an intense surface low pressure system and attendant warm front to lift into Nebraska.VCGI and the State of VT make no representations of any kind, including but not limited to the warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular use, nor are any such warranties to be implied with respect to the data.

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.

This dataset corresponds to reports of tornadoes that happened in Southeast South America (SESA) between 1991 and 2020. It was constructed and used for studying tornadic environments in SESA, work that was recently published in the American Meteorological Society (AMS) journal Monthly Weather Review under the title: "Tornadoes in Southeast South America: Mesoscale to Planetary-scale Environments". A PDF containing this article was included with the last update of this publication (January 2024). Additionally, a datasheet explaining everything you need to know about the database of tornadoes in Southeast South America was included in this new version (January 2024).

Storm Data is provided by the National Weather Service (NWS) and contain statistics on personal injuries and damage estimates. Storm Data covers the United States of America. The data began as early as 1950 through to the present, updated monthly with up to a 120 day delay possible. NCDC Storm Event database allows users to find various types of storms recorded by county, or use other selection criteria as desired. The data contain a chronological listing, by state, of hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, floods, drought conditions, lightning, high winds, snow, temperature extremes and other weather phenomena.