'Alarming': Severe weather, tornado reports way up this year in US
- Over 470 tornadoes have been reported across the U.S. this year, nearly double the historical average.
- Tornado-related deaths have exceeded 30. Mississippi has experienced the most tornadoes.
- Severe weather is expected to subside in early April but may return around Easter weekend.
It's been a deadly and violent start to the year for tornadoes in the United States.
More than 470 tornadoes have been reported across the United States so far this year, which is nearly double the historical average for the year to date, according to a tabulation from AccuWeather.
Since 2010, the only years that had more tornadoes than this year were 2023 with 530 and 2017 with 536.
“This has been an extremely dangerous and destructive stretch of spring severe weather," said AccuWeather Senior Director of Forecasting Operations Dan DePodwin, in a news release. "Tornadoes have damaged or destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses across the central and southeastern U.S. The frequency and severity of extreme weather in America this year has been alarming."
Tornadoes by the numbers
Tornadoes have killed over 30 Americans so far this year. On average, based on 30 years of weather data, 71 Americans are killed by tornadoes each year, according to the National Weather Service.
Through the end of March, Mississippi was leading the nation for tornado reports, with 92 twisters reported.
Mississippi, Missouri, Illinois, Alabama and Indiana are the top five states for tornadoes so far this year.
Major flooding from a rare atmospheric river and a multiday severe weather outbreak that produced dozens of destructive tornadoes in early April caused $80 billion to $90 billion in total damage and economic loss, according to a preliminary estimate from AccuWeather.
Tornado outbreaks in March and April
There have been three major outbreaks of severe weather in the past few weeks:
March 14-16 tornado outbreak: 115 twisters were confirmed in Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana.
March 30-31 tornado outbreak: 71 confirmed tornadoes.
April 2-3 tornado outbreak: 82 tornadoes have been confirmed.
What's caused all the severe weather?
The series of tornado outbreaks this year has been driven by an unusually high number of storms across the Midwest and South.
A corridor of storms heading into the Plains and strong high pressure in the Southeast bringing up moisture from the Gulf conspired to create conditions to support severe thunderstorms and tornado outbreaks, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
A lull, then more twisters expected
"Severe weather will go kind of quiet for this week into most of next week," Pastelok added on April 10, "but another outbreak will be possible again around Easter weekend, April 19 to 20."