US Tornado History — Every Recorded Tornado Since 1950

The NOAA Storm Prediction Center has catalogued more than 71,800 tornadoes in the United States since 1950, when systematic national tracking began. The annual average since 2000 is approximately 1,250 tornadoes, though the true long-term average is difficult to determine because reporting improved dramatically with Doppler radar deployment in the 1990s.

The United States has recorded 59 F5 or EF5 tornadoes since 1950. All were in the lower 48 states, with Oklahoma, Alabama, and Kansas accounting for the most. The most recent was the Enderlin, North Dakota EF5 on June 20, 2025 — ending a 12-year gap since the 2013 Moore, Oklahoma tornado.

The Tri-State Tornado of March 18, 1925 remains the deadliest single tornado in US history, killing 695 people across Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. Its 219-mile path and 3-hour 33-minute duration are both US records. The deadliest since 1950 is the 2011 Joplin, Missouri tornado with 158 deaths.

The 2013 El Reno, Oklahoma tornado holds the record for the widest tornado ever measured, at 2.6 miles wide. Its EF3 rating — downgraded from an initial EF5 assessment — is itself controversial, as mobile Doppler radar measured ground-relative winds of 302 mph during its peak intensity.

The area commonly called "Tornado Alley" — stretching across Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota — historically recorded the most tornadoes. Since 2000, however, the maximum activity has shifted eastward into what researchers call "Dixie Alley," covering Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and northern Louisiana, with violent tornadoes now striking these states with increased frequency.

Peak US tornado activity runs from April through June, with May the single most active month on record. A secondary peak often occurs in November in the Mississippi Valley. Tornadoes can and do occur in every US state in every month of the year, however, and winter tornadoes in the Southeast have become increasingly common.