US Logs Second Worst Year for Tornadoes on Record in 2024

According to preliminary numbers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Weather Service, 1,855 tornadoes occurred in 2024. The count is ongoing due to a late-December outbreak, but the number of tornados is expected to drop when the final verified totals are released March 1. Last year’s numbers should fall to somewhere around 1,700 tornados, according to USA Today.

This ranks 2024 as the second worst year for tornados since the National Weather Service has been tracking them. The highest year for tornados was in 2004 with 1,817. Third and fourth place fall to the years 2008 and 2011 with 1,692 and 1,692 tornadoes, respectively.

NOAA has confirmed at least 52 tornado-related deaths in 2024. The annual average number of deaths since 2000 is about 72, USA Today reported.

2024 also experienced more EF2 or stronger tornadoes than have been seen in the U.S. since 2011, AccuWeather reported. Texas has the country’s largest tornado count this year, with 169 twisters reported. Due to its size and location in a tornado-prone part of the country, AccuWeather said Texas is often No.1, and tornadoes from Hurricane Beryl helped secure that first-place spot in 2024.

The second-highest state number for tornadoes is 131, which occurred in both Nebraska and Iowa. Illinois comes in next with 126 confirmed tornadoes, and Missouri with 105 rounded out the top 5.

Florida, just outside of the top 5 states with 103 tornadoes, reported an unusually high number of tornadoes due to Hurricane Milton, which spawned more than twice the daily record of twisters, AccuWeather reported.

When the final numbers are released later this year, several states are expected to have recorded their highest number of tornadoes, including Ohio, Oklahoma, Illinois, West Virginia, and Iowa.

The only states that didn’t report any tornadoes this year were Nevada, Vermont, and Maine.

Additionally, the outbreak of tornadoes in December continues a trend seen over the past few decades. The 65 preliminary tornado reports on Dec. 28 made it the third-busiest day this year. April 26 was the most active day for tornado reports, which spawned 108, NOAA reported.