The lack of a date-delineated “tornado season” has been evident in 2024, with this year being called the most active tornado season since 2017. Unusually warm temperatures – both land and sea – have caused increased storm systems which have frequently spun off tornadoes.
As of Oct. 28, there have been 1,515 confirmed twisters this year, although many of the ratings are considered preliminary until published in the National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) database. NCEI is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These tornadoes included 203 EF-U, 481 EF-0, 659 EF-1, 130 EF-2, 37 EF-3 and four EF-4.
Recent tornadoes are not all included at the time of publication.
This profile focuses on the most impactful tornadoes, especially for marginalized and at-risk populations. Tornadoes will be listed in the Impact section by month, with the most recent month first.
(Storm damage in Panama City Beach on Jan. 9, 2024. Photo credit: Bay County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook)
The National Weather Service (NWS) defines tornadoes as “a violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm.” Any thunderstorm can develop a tornado, but the most severe twisters are created inside supercell thunderstorms, defined by a rotating updraft. Tornadoes are measured using the Enhanced Fujita Scale, which assigns ratings from EF-0 to EF-5. The NWS determines what rating the tornado receives based on the amount of damage viewed on the ground. This helps investigators estimate the highest approximate wind speed that was sustained for at least a three-second gust. When there is no damage to a structure on the ground, tornadoes may be rated lower than their actual windspeeds because there is no debris to compare against.
Latest Updates
What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, November 4
From theory to practice: Disaster philanthropy and tornadoes
Twisters: It’s about the people
What we’re watching: Weekly disaster update, June 24
Helping rural communities affected by recent severe weather
Key facts
- The first half of the year wrapped up with 1,250 tornadoes, and 91 tornadoes were reported in August, which is 10 above the average.
- CDP often uses preliminary NWS or NOAA/NCEI data because final numbers take significant time. NOAA says, “Historically, for every 100 preliminary tornado reports, at least 65 tornadoes are confirmed.”
- Of the 25 billion-dollar disasters that have been confirmed this year as of Oct. 28, 2024, at least 17 include confirmed tornado outbreaks.
- NOAA has confirmed 52 tornado-related deaths in 2024 as of Oct. 28. Of these deaths, 30 of these deaths occurred in a manufactured home, 10 inside a traditionally built home, three inside a vehicle, three outside, one inside a building, and five locations are unknown. Other deaths may be under investigation.
- The United States has not experienced an EF-5 twister since the Moore Tornado in 2013. While most tornadoes (90%) are rated EF-0 or EF-1, they can still damage homes and cause severe damage to mobile homes and manufactured housing.
- Since 1880, the percentage of fatalities during daytime tornadoes has decreased by 20%, while the percentage of deaths during nighttime tornadoes has increased by the same amount. Nighttime tornadoes kill twice as many people as daytime tornadoes annually.
October 2024
October 8-9
Hurricane Milton caused around 46 tornadoes throughout Florida, including three EF-3s that affected Glades, Palm Beach and St. Lucie Counties. These tornadoes stripped off roofs, flipped mobile homes, and tossed around boats and cars. This was the first hurricane or tropical storm to produce an EF-3 tornado in Florida since Hurricane Agnes in June 1972.
September 2024
September 6
An EF-1 tornado struck New York on Sept. 6, causing extensive tree damage. It was the 29th tornado in New York this year, breaking the record for the most twisters in a single year.
September 26-27
Hurricane Helene spawned over 20 tornadoes across Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The strongest was EF-1 in South Carolina. The tornadoes uprooted trees, damaged buildings and infrastructure. No fatalities were attributed to the tornadoes.
August 2024
Preliminary data indicates there were 91 confirmed tornadoes in August, which is above the 1991-2020 average of 81 tornadoes.
The most intense day for tornadoes was Aug. 5, when 29 tornadoes hit southern Minnesota, northeastern Iowa, coastal South Carolina and Buffalo, New York, with no injuries or fatalities.
Tropical Storm Debby caused tornadoes as it moved inland, leading to significant damage in North Carolina. These included an EF-2 in Sampson County and an EF-3 in Wilson County, resulting in one fatality. On Aug. 8, Debby spawned 11 tornadoes across several other states, causing damage but no injuries or fatalities.
July 2024
Preliminary data from the NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center indicates there were 210 tornadoes reported for July. Over 60 of those tornadoes were connected with the path of Hurricane Beryl as it traveled across the U.S., from Texas to Vermont, and on to Canada.
Several of the outbreaks also set records. For example, New York typically sees nine tornadoes in July. This year, 20 of their 22 twisters have occurred in July (the highest was 13 in 1992).
June 2024
While there was at least one tornado on all but three days in the month, there were no big outbreaks. June saw 131 tornadoes, with only June 5 exceeding 20 twisters. The severe weather on June 12-13 in the central part of the country is under investigation as a potential billion-dollar disaster.
June 5-6
One EF-2, 10 EF-1, nine EF-0 and several EF-U tornadoes struck Michigan, Maryland, West Virginia, Illinois, Ohio, Mississippi, and Alabama. Although these were small twisters, several homes, businesses, vehicles and infrastructure were damaged in several towns in Maryland. The tornado in Michigan developed so quickly there was no advance notice or warning sirens.
June 25-26
At least 20 tornadoes roared through Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island at the end of the month. While most were small, there was an EF-3 in Whitman, Nebraska. Rhode Island saw its first tornado in June since 1950 on June 26.
May 2024
NOAA/NCEI states that there were 570 tornadoes in May, which is a significant increase from the 1991-2020 average of 268.4 tornadoes and the highest count ever recorded in May.
Twisters have been reported in almost half the states in the country, and there were only two days in the month without at least one tornado. Out of the six billion-dollar weather and climate disasters were confirmed in May, three of them included tornadoes.
May 6-10
Multiple tornadoes spawned from violent storms across the U.S., resulting in multiple casualties and injuries. There were 1,400 severe weather reports and 165 tornadoes confirmed across several states from May 6 to May 10.
NCEI said that: “This multi-day tornado outbreak produced at least 61 EF-0, 79 EF-1, 13 EF-2, three EF-3, one EF-4 tornado and dozens of EF-U (unknown/unrated) tornadoes, causing widespread damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. The towns of Barnsdall and Bartlesville, Oklahoma were impacted by a violet EF-4 tornado that caused extensive damage.”
May 19-26
According to NOAA/NCEI, “220 preliminary tornadoes were reported across many midwestern states over this continuous tornado-producing period. These tornadoes were rated as: 65 EF-0, 105 EF-1, 20 EF-2, 12 EF-3, one EF-4 and more than one dozen EF-U (unknown or unconfirmed) tornadoes. The states most affected included Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Kentucky. These states experienced damage to many homes, businesses, vehicles, agriculture and other infrastructure. For the full multi-day episode, there were 21 tornado-related fatalities and more than 150 injuries were reported.”
April 2024
With nearly 400 tornadoes confirmed in April, the month brought more than double the average of 182.4 tornadoes. including at least 27 EFUs, 84 EF-0s, 161 EF-1s, 35 EF-2s, nine EF-3s and one EF-4. At least seven direct tornado deaths and several related fatalities were recorded, with fatalities spread across several of the outbreaks.
NOAA/NCEI said: “The preliminary tornado count for the January-April year-to-date period was 547, which is similar to the total from the last couple of years and above the 1991-2020 average of 337.9 tornadoes. It was also the third highest count for this period on record.”
Three of April’s tornado outbreaks produced billion-dollar disasters: April 1-3 at $2.5 billion, April 8-11 at $2.2 billion and April 26-28 at $1.2 billion in economic losses.
The worst tornado outbreak of the year, with more than 140 tornadoes, occurred between April 25 and April 28 in the Midwest and Great Plains, including Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.
Alaska experienced its fifth-ever tornado on April 19; the first since 2005.
April 1-3
A powerful line of storms passed through the Midwest and into much of the Central and Southeast U.S., causing severe thunderstorms, hail and tornadoes. There were more than 85 twisters in this outbreak stretching from Oklahoma to West Virginia, including 14 EF-2 tornadoes. West Virginia saw 10 tornadoes.
April 16
On April 16, severe storms moved into the Midwest and spawned twisters in Iowa and Kansas, hurting several people. This included an EF-2 tornado that made landfall in Greenwood County. At least 15 tornadoes touched down across Iowa on April 16, including a 900-feet wide long-track EF-2 tornado that ran for more than 42 miles, with peak wind speeds of 130 mph. It is the longest tornado path in the area since almost exactly a decade ago, April 27, 2014.
April 26–27
Multiple storm systems moved through the Midwest and Central Plains between April 26 and 28, spawning more than two dozen tornadoes. These twisters resulted in at least five fatalities, four of which occurred in Oklahoma, where President Biden approved a major disaster declaration on May 1.
In Nebraska, two supercells produced five tornadoes across the southern region. An EF-3 tornado hit Howard County, gaining significant strength when it entered the town of Elba, damaging homes, outbuildings and farmsteads. Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen announced at least 450 homes were “totally destroyed” in Omaha following the twisters.
Two EF-3 tornadoes crossed over from Omaha, Nebraska, into Iowa. One of them reached peak wind speeds of 165 mph, traveled for over 31 miles and, at its widest, was nearly one mile. In a town of 600 people, the tornado damaged 120 homes.
March 2024
NOAA/NCEI confirmed 66 tornadoes in March, which is below the 30-year average of 80.1 events for the month. Half of the days in the month had no tornadoes, and this is the lowest amount for the month since March 2018. NOAA/NCEI also said that “March 2024 was the 17th-warmest March on record for the nation and precipitation ranked in the wettest third of the historical record for the month.”
A tornado system from March 13 to March 15 is one of the billion-dollar disasters in 2024 at a cost of $5.9 billion. The states affected by tornadoes included Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and Ohio.
March 9
About 15 people were displaced after a short (less than 10 minutes) but strong (130 mph winds) EF-2 tornado hit Brantley County, Georgia. At least one mobile home was flattened, several were damaged and five people were reportedly injured.
March 13-15
The mid-March outbreak saw more than 41 tornadoes across the Midwest and Ohio River Valley. The primary impacts were in southwestern Illinois, eastern Indiana and northwestern Ohio.
NCEI said, “This cluster of tornadoes included at least ten EF-0, eight EF-1, seven EF-2, two EF-3 and several EF-U (unrated) tornadoes.”
An EF-3 tornado hit the community of Indian Lake, Ohio, traveling 31.2 miles for 47 minutes. Three deaths and 27 injuries were confirmed in Logan County. Packing wind speeds of 155 mph, the tornado struck a manufactured home community near Indian Lake, where most of the fatalities occurred.
FEMA declared a major disaster declaration for Ohio’s tornadoes on March 14 [DR-4777] for 11 counties. There were 442 individual assistance applications approved for nearly $3.6 million in assistance, an average of $7,583.
February 2024
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center reported 52 preliminary tornadoes during February, below the 1991-2020 average of 75 tornadoes for the month. States affected include California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. The month was unseasonably warm and dry.
A severe weather system on Feb. 27 and 28, is one of the nation’s billion-dollar disasters in 2024, at $1.3 billion.
Feb. 27-28
Hail, high winds and more than two dozen confirmed tornadoes hit the Great Lake states, including the suburbs of Chicago, leaving behind a trail of damage, debris and power outages.
A rare set of 12 tornadoes struck northwest Illinois and Indiana on Feb. 27.”
The tornadoes, ranging from EF-U to EF-1, affected 11.1 million people. The storms led to damaged buildings and roofs, uprooted trees, and downed power lines.
Southeast Michigan experienced its second-ever tornado in February since 1974 with two tornadoes reported on Feb. 28, including an EF-2 in Grand Blanc Township near Flint.
Similarly, central Ohio experienced nine confirmed tornadoes – three EF-0, three EF-1 and three EF-2. This is the highest number of February tornadoes in Ohio. Additionally, “The EF2 tornado in southeastern Franklin County was the strongest recorded in February since Feb. 22, 1971.”
January 2024
According to NOAA/NCEI, 39 of the month’s 45 tornadoes (or 86%) were confirmed in the January 8 and 9 outbreak. One of the January outbreaks was the first billion-dollar disaster of the year with approximate damage of $2.8 billion. The tornadoes included several EF-Us, 13 EF-0s, 15 EF-1s, six EF-2s and one EF-3. States affected include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Texas.
Jan. 8-9
A two-day outbreak of tornadoes occurred on Jan. 8 and 9.
The biggest tornado of the outbreak was an EF-3 in Bay County, Florida, which traveled through areas previously damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018, including Panama City and Panama City Beach.
There were at least six EF–2 tornadoes during this outbreak which caused damage to mobile or manufactured homes; many single-family homes were also damaged. Several businesses were damaged, including two marinas.
While there are many immediate needs in the wake of tornadoes, such as temporary housing, childcare, automobile replacement, etc., funders must also consider holding back funds in anticipation of the intermediate and long-term needs of the affected communities.
Immediate needs
Immediate needs include tarping, cleaning and temporary repair of damaged homes and businesses. This includes debris clean-up, which is significant because of the amount of damage and felling of trees. There will be a need to replace vehicles, personal belongings, appliances and furniture lost in the tornadoes.
Power outages cause concerns for feeding and heating. Many deaths after events such as these are attributable to improper use of propane for heating or cooking.
Long-term repair and rebuilding of housing and businesses requires additional funding beyond the initial infusion of funds to address life safety issues.
Rural communities
As tornado alley shifts and storms move closer toward the southeast, more urban areas will be affected. At the same time, many tornadoes also impact rural communities that will not garner the same attention as more urban areas.
Recovery in rural communities is slower and requires “patient dollars.” Funders must understand that progress will not occur as quickly as it does in larger, more well-resourced communities. Investments should be made over time: pledges of multi-year funding are very helpful, as is support for operating costs and capacity building.
Funders would, however, be wise to remember that while many rural communities do not have access to the same level of financial assistance as some urban areas, the social fabric and human capital available in more rural communities can be a powerful force multiplier.
Housing
People whose homes were damaged will need support securing new housing that is safe and affordable and/or repairing their damaged homes. After a tornado, displaced residents may face challenges finding housing that meets their needs. Tornadoes affect people from all walks of life, some with insurance and others without. The destruction of manufactured homes (often called mobile homes) will also affect affordable housing availability in communities.
Depending upon the location of housing, the homeowner may not own the land, only the building. Additionally, insurance is limited on manufactured housing, especially based on the age of the building.
Although manufactured housing can be physically vulnerable to tornadoes, more than 22 million people in the United States live in mobile and manufactured homes, which represents an important affordable and accessible housing option for many communities.
Manufactured and mobile home residents have higher exposure to natural hazards, such as wind and tornadoes, hurricanes, extreme heat, wildfires, and flooding, compared to those who live in other types of housing. Mobile homes are also often overlooked in hazard planning and disaster recovery efforts.
Balancing safety with the benefits of manufactured homes can be a challenge. Understanding the importance and role of mobile homes and how needs can be addressed equitably for residents of these homes is paramount for successful, equitable recovery.
The Manufactured Home Disaster Recovery Playbook was created by Matthew 25 in 2023 for the Center for Disaster Philanthropy. The Playbook has videos, lessons learned and other information to assist funders in supporting manufactured home disaster recovery. On Oct. 12, 2022, CDP also hosted a webinar about the increased risks manufactured homes face and their role in disaster recovery.
Looking forward, long-term solutions such as affordable housing and employment opportunities require more significant planning and investment.
Cash assistance
A critical ongoing need will be unrestricted cash donations to support affected individuals and families. Direct cash assistance can allow families to secure housing, purchase items and contract services locally that address their multiple needs. It gives each family flexibility and choice, ensuring that support is relevant, cost-effective and timely. Cash assistance can also help move families faster toward rebuilding their lives.
In addition to supporting families, cash provides a much-needed jolt to local economies, which can also be a major boon to recovery.
Emotional and spiritual care
Emotional and spiritual care will be critical, especially for families of people killed in the storms, first responders and those in the tornadoes’ direct paths. Long-term mental health and trauma support will also be required. Some of the affected communities were impacted by previous events, which has left them with increased trauma from natural hazards.
There is also the severe risk of poor emotional health, suicide or self-harming behaviors among farmers and ranchers after disasters.
Business recovery
Business recovery is always critical to helping communities rebuild. When tornadoes damage or destroy businesses, it negatively impacts people’s livelihoods. Given the higher costs of living and ongoing recovery from COVID, this is particularly challenging for small businesses.
To support tornado recovery efforts, please donate to CDP’s Tornado Recovery Fund.
Contact CDP
Philanthropic contributions
If you have questions about donating to the CDP Tornado Recovery Fund, need help with your disaster-giving strategy or want to share how you’re responding to this disaster, please contact development.
(Tornado damage in Bamberg, South Carolina on Jan. 9, 2024. Credit: Justin Bamberg via X)
Recovery updates
If you are a responding NGO, please send updates on how you are working on recovery from this disaster to Tanya Gulliver-Garcia.
We welcome the republication of our content. Please credit the Center for Disaster Philanthropy.
Philanthropic and government support
With a $180,000 grant from CDP’s Midwest Early Recovery Fund and the Tornado Recovery Fund, the Arkansas Community Foundation is supporting disaster case management and childcare provider needs in response to the 2023 Arkansas tornadoes.
Disaster Services Corporation – Society of St. Vincent de Paul received $134,766.03 from CDP to continue long-term disaster case management efforts in Rolling Fork, Mississippi and surrounding communities affected by tornadoes in 2023.
Recovering Oklahomans After Disaster (ROAD) is utilizing $150,000 from CDP’s Tornado Recovery Fund and the Midwest Early Recovery Fund to support staffing capacity for home repair work after multiple severe storms and tornadoes throughout Oklahoma in 2023.
Resources
Tornadoes
The National Weather Service defines tornadoes as “a violently rotating column of air touching the ground, usually attached to the base of a thunderstorm.” The U.S. is home to more tornadoes than any other country in the world, with approximately 900 to 1,700 tornadoes occurring a year throughout the country.
Rural Populations
Rural populations often struggle with disaster response and recovery. Explore why.
Long-Term Recovery Groups
A long-term recovery group is a cooperative body that is made up of representatives from faith-based, nonprofit, government, business and other organizations working within a community to assist individuals and families as they recover from disaster.
