Tornado Season Up and Running with Unusually High Amounts of Activity

If it seems like it has already been a highly active year for tornadoes, you are right. Three major tornado outbreaks have sent the number of confirmed twisters well over the historical average by this time of the year. What parts of the country are seeing the most action and how far ahead are the numbers trending? Read on for all of the details.

Tornado Reports Soaring Well Over the Historical Average

The year 2025 is shaping up to be a monster year for tornadic activity. According to the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) out of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have been 473 preliminary reports of tornadoes so far this year. This figure is about 1.8 times higher than the 16-year average as well as last year's total of 264 at this point in the season.

Going back 16 years, only two years have notched more tornadoes by the second week of April. There were 536 tornadoes in the year 2017 through early April. More recently, the year 2023 saw 530 twisters.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of activity has been focused over the Southeast and the Mississippi Valley. This is typical for the early part of the spring season since this part of the country heats up more quickly than areas to the north. It is the clash of the cold and warm temperatures that supports the development of tornado-producing thunderstorms.

The state of Mississippi has seen the most tornadoes through the end of March with 78 twisters confirmed. Mississippi had only notched seven tornadoes through March 31 last year. Florida was leading the pack at this date in the season in 2024 with 30 tornadoes.

Missouri is in second place so far this year with 55 reports of twisters. Illinois is not far behind with 52 in the books.

Year-over-Year Tornado Activity