State reference
Tornado climatology by state
A state-by-state summary of tornado activity — averaged over 30-year records. Frequency, peak season, and characteristic setups.
The top 10 states by tornado count
- Texas — 155/year avg. Peak: April-May. Longest tornado record in the US.
- Kansas — 96/year. Peak: May.
- Oklahoma — 68/year. Peak: April-May.
- Nebraska — 57/year. Peak: May-June.
- Illinois — 54/year. Peak: April-June.
- Colorado — 53/year. Peak: June-July. Mostly weak, eastern plains.
- Iowa — 51/year. Peak: May-June.
- Alabama — 47/year. Peak: April, secondary Nov.
- Mississippi — 43/year. Peak: April.
- Missouri — 42/year. Peak: April-May.
Top 10 by tornadoes per square mile
Total counts favor big states. Per-area rankings tell a different story:
- Florida — highest per-area rate but usually weak.
- Oklahoma — highest per-area for significant tornadoes.
- Iowa, Kansas — right behind.
- Illinois, Mississippi — dense per-area.
- Alabama — highest in Southeast.
Regional patterns
Great Plains
April-June peak. Classic supercells. Highest visibility.
Deep South (Dixie Alley)
March-April and Nov. Nighttime concentration. HP supercells.
Midwest / Ohio Valley
April-June. Slightly north of peak Plains activity.
Southeast
March-April. Landfalling tropical spawn tornadoes.
Northeast
July-August. Rare but not zero.
Mountain West
Very few. Colorado plains have some.
Pacific Coast
Almost none. Occasional weak coastal tornadoes.
Alaska
One documented ever. Antarctica has more than most think — 0.
Individual state summaries
Texas
155/year. April-May peak. Panhandle for classic supercells; East TX for HP.
Oklahoma
68/year. April-May. Population + tornado density = highest per-capita risk.
Kansas
96/year. May peak. Classic Plains chase state.
Alabama
47/year. April + Nov. Deadliest state per capita historically.
Mississippi
43/year. March-April. Rural / mobile home fatality driver.
Florida
55/year. Summer peak. Mostly weak. Waterspouts common.
Louisiana
38/year. Feb-April. Hurricane season adds cases.
Arkansas
35/year. March-April.
Tennessee
30/year. Dec + March-April.
Illinois
54/year. April-June.
Missouri
42/year. April-May.
Iowa
51/year. May-June.
Wisconsin
25/year. June peak.
Minnesota
30/year. June-July.
South Dakota
30/year. May-June.
North Dakota
25/year. June-July.
Nebraska
57/year. May-June.
Colorado
53/year. Almost all eastern plains. June-July.
Wyoming
12/year. Summer, eastern plains.
Georgia
31/year. March-May.
South Carolina
15/year. Spring + hurricane season.
North Carolina
31/year. Hurricane season adds.
Virginia
19/year. Spring + hurricane season.
Kentucky
25/year. April-May.
Indiana
22/year. April-June.
Ohio
19/year. June.
Michigan
15/year. June.
Pennsylvania
16/year. June-July.
New York
10/year. Summer.
New England
2-5/year each state.
Maryland/DC/Delaware
3-5/year.
West Virginia
2/year.
California
10/year. Almost all winter cold-core.
Nevada
3/year.
Arizona
5/year.
New Mexico
9/year.
Utah
2/year.
Idaho
3/year.
Montana
10/year. Eastern.
Oregon/Washington
2-3/year. Coastal weak.
Alaska/Hawaii
Under 1/year.