These 5 states had the most tornadoes in 2025
For the second year in a row, tornado reports were above average in 2025, but regional shifts meant some states got more than others.
AccuWeather’s Bernie Rayno and Ariella Scalese count down the top 3 most powerful tornado videos of 2025. One of the most intense tornadoes was captured by Meteorologist Tony Laubach on May 18.
Last year was another busy one for tornadoes, which included the strongest to strike the United States since 2013. But where the tornadoes hit, and which states saw the most, shifted noticeably from the year before.
Preliminary data from NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center shows 2025 was the second consecutive year with above-historical-average tornado reports.
A total of 1,558 tornadoes were reported in the U.S. in 2025, compared to 2024's preliminary number of 1,910 and the 15-year historical average of 1,392.
These five states recorded the most tornadoes in 2025:
• Texas (162)
• Illinois (146)
• Missouri (120)
• Mississippi (111)
• Alabama & North Dakota (72)
Seven of the 48 states in the Contiguous U.S. did not have a tornado report, including Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Washington, Rhode Island, Vermont and West Virginia.
A likely tornado tears through Blodgett, Missouri, on Friday, May 17.
Because of its size and location in classic Tornado Alley, Texas typically tops the annual twister list. Other states in the Plains, Midwest and Southeast tend to jockey for the top 5.
Compared to 2024, Florida, Iowa and Nebraska dropped off the list, while Mississippi, Alabama and North Dakota made the top 5. This reflected an overall decrease in tornadoes on the East Coast last year versus 2024 and an increase in the South.
After a surge in tornado activity across most of the eastern half of the country in 2024, the majority of tornadoes in 2025 unfolded in a narrow strip of land east of the Mississippi River. However, there were a significant number of tornadoes recorded in North Dakota and western Texas. Major tornado outbreaks in June and September helped raise North Dakota's numbers.
A total of 68 people were killed by tornadoes in 2025, compared to 54 in 2024.
After damaging tornado outbreaks in March, April and May, 2025 was on track to be the worst tornado season in 14 years. However, tornado activity started to decline in June. This, paired with a lack of landfalling U.S. hurricanes and a lackluster second severe weather season, kept the tornado count from spiking, with 2025 ending with the fourth-highest tornado count for the last 15 years.
Still, the year had several notable twisters. A 117-mile EF4 tornado tracked through Arkansas and Missouri on March 14. The Arkansas portion of that tornado was the third-longest in the state. The next day, a tornado that tracked from Kentwood, Louisiana, to Darbun, Mississippi, killed five people. It was the deadliest tornado of the year.
On June 20, the first EF5 tornado since 2013 plowed through southeastern North Dakota, breaking a 12-year drought of the strongest category on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Tornado warnings issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) showed similar trends, with 2025's total of 3,018 falling short of 2024's 3,636 warnings. April had the most warnings, with 838 statements going out that month. The Oklahoma City NWS office issued more warnings — 184 in total — than any of the other 122 offices during the year.
