Question 1

Which states are in Tornado Alley?

Accepted Answer

NOAA's National Severe Storms Laboratory says "Tornado Alley" is just a nickname for an area of relatively high tornado occurrence and is not a clearly defined area. In the NOAA record below, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Florida and Nebraska have the most tornadoes.

Question 2

Which state has the most tornadoes?

Accepted Answer

Texas has the most in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center record from 1950 through 2025, with 9,610. It is also a very large state, so a count alone does not mean a higher risk for any one place.

Question 3

Does this list show where tornadoes are most dangerous?

Accepted Answer

Not by itself. Counts include weak tornadoes. The EF3+ and deaths columns show the stronger and deadlier ones, and your own risk depends on your location and on having a shelter plan.

Question 4

How many tornadoes happen in the U.S. each year?

Accepted Answer

In the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database the yearly count from 1950 to 2025 averages about 967, and the last ten years (2016 to 2025) average about 1,318. The busiest year was 2004 with 1,817. The SPC says reported counts rose after Doppler radar arrived in the mid 1990s, almost entirely in weak EF0 to EF1 tornadoes that are detected more often, so the rise does not mean tornadoes became more common.

Question 5

What are the tornado statistics by state?

Accepted Answer

The table on this page lists every state's tornado total, count since 2000, EF3 or stronger and deaths for 1950 to 2025. The five states with the most tornadoes overall are Texas (9,610), Kansas (4,582), Oklahoma (4,484), Florida (3,761), Nebraska (3,203). Counts are tornadoes that began in the state, from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database.

Question 6

What are the tornado statistics by year?

Accepted Answer

The yearly table runs from 1950 to 2025. 2004 had the most tornadoes (1,817), 2011 had the most deaths (553), and the average is about 967 a year. Reported counts rose after Doppler radar arrived in the 1990s, mostly because more weak tornadoes are now detected.

Question 7

Which states have the highest tornado risk?

Accepted Answer

The SPC data does not give a risk score, but three counts show where tornadoes cluster. Since 2000 the most are in Texas (3,279), Kansas (2,150), Oklahoma (1,786), Mississippi (1,658), Illinois (1,650). For EF3 or stronger the most are in Texas (401), Oklahoma (268), Kansas (241), Mississippi (195), Alabama (186). For deaths since 1950 the most are in Alabama (679), Texas (609), Mississippi (505), Oklahoma (452), Tennessee (432). Your own risk depends on your location, so check your state or city page for local history.

#	State	Total	Since 2000	EF3 or stronger	EF4 or stronger	Deaths
1	Texas	9,610	3,279	401	57	609
2	Kansas	4,582	2,150	241	44	196
3	Oklahoma	4,484	1,786	268	61	452
4	Florida	3,761	1,307	48	2	175
5	Nebraska	3,203	1,256	131	33	56
6	Illinois	3,108	1,650	141	32	232
7	Iowa	3,079	1,495	168	49	98
8	Mississippi	2,854	1,658	195	35	505
9	Alabama	2,681	1,626	186	42	679
10	Missouri	2,656	1,368	147	35	368
11	Louisiana	2,482	1,226	110	11	232
12	Colorado	2,476	1,093	25	0	5
13	Minnesota	2,193	1,160	74	23	98
14	Arkansas	2,090	1,014	183	31	415
15	Georgia	1,977	991	85	11	237
16	South Dakota	1,945	658	68	10	17
17	North Dakota	1,737	784	51	14	31
18	Indiana	1,725	758	124	28	273
19	Wisconsin	1,596	683	74	20	101
20	North Carolina	1,533	762	45	7	124
21	Tennessee	1,447	806	123	29	432
22	Ohio	1,381	670	64	18	229
23	Kentucky	1,223	749	97	19	214
24	South Carolina	1,217	644	46	11	71
25	Michigan	1,141	362	59	17	222
26	Pennsylvania	982	424	34	6	49
27	Virginia	828	485	37	2	38
28	Wyoming	749	238	14	1	4
29	New Mexico	678	238	4	0	4
30	New York	535	247	23	2	35
31	California	486	198	2	0	0
32	Montana	444	141	11	1	4
33	Maryland	415	213	7	1	9
34	Arizona	302	122	4	0	3
35	Idaho	226	85	0	0	0
36	Massachusetts	192	55	8	2	105
37	New Jersey	188	66	7	0	1
38	West Virginia	164	65	4	0	2
39	Utah	142	50	1	0	1
40	Oregon	135	65	1	0	6
41	Maine	134	48	0	0	1
42	Washington	134	64	2	0	0
43	Connecticut	125	57	6	2	4
44	New Hampshire	99	22	4	0	1
45	Nevada	96	35	0	0	0
46	Delaware	74	21	2	0	3
47	Vermont	49	17	0	0	0
48	Hawaii	41	14	0	0	0
49	Rhode Island	17	10	0	0	0
50	Alaska	5	4	0	0	0
51	District of Columbia	3	2	0	0	0

Year	Tornadoes	EF3 or stronger	Deaths
2025	1,383	40	67
2024	1,805	47	52
2023	1,321	31	86
2022	1,167	24	23
2021	1,328	24	104
2020	1,090	24	76
2019	1,534	36	42
2018	1,138	12	10
2017	1,442	14	35
2016	976	28	18
2015	1,182	21	36
2014	928	27	47
2013	916	28	55
2012	948	31	69
2011	1,704	84	553
2010	1,302	46	45
2009	1,162	22	21
2008	1,704	59	128
2007	1,132	36	81
2006	1,103	32	67
2005	1,263	21	38
2004	1,817	28	35
2003	1,374	35	54
2002	934	31	55
2001	1,215	29	40
2000	1,075	23	41
1999	1,339	64	94
1998	1,424	43	130
1997	1,148	39	68
1996	1,173	23	26
1995	1,237	32	30
1994	1,082	35	69
1993	1,172	36	33
1992	1,297	57	39
1991	1,132	46	39
1990	1,133	56	53
1989	856	21	50
1988	702	27	32
1987	656	15	59
1986	765	24	15
1985	684	38	94
1984	907	56	122
1983	930	61	34
1982	1,047	65	64
1981	782	30	24
1980	866	37	28
1979	855	38	84
1978	789	33	53
1977	852	60	43
1976	834	64	44
1975	919	45	60
1974	945	131	366
1973	1,102	85	89
1972	741	41	27
1971	889	82	159
1970	653	45	73
1969	608	56	66
1968	657	51	131
1967	927	75	114
1966	585	32	98
1965	897	102	301
1964	704	51	73
1963	463	38	31
1962	657	39	30
1961	697	73	52
1960	616	51	46
1959	604	42	58
1958	564	41	67
1957	858	100	192
1956	504	51	81
1955	591	40	129
1954	550	46	36
1953	421	62	523
1952	240	54	230
1951	260	28	34
1950	201	31	70

Compare tornado totals and deaths in every state since 1950, and test whether Tornado Alley still tells the story

Tornado statistics by state, 1950 to 2025

Tornado statistics by year, 1950 to 2025

Common questions