There were 1,796 confirmed tornadoes in 2024, the second-highest annual count on record, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Storm Prediction Center (SPC).

2024 saw an active April and May in the Plains region, with a total of 185 tropical cyclone tornadoes. There were a remarkable six EF3 tropical cyclone tornadoes from four different storms. Previously, there had only been 5 EF3 tornadoes in the 29-year history of the tropical cyclone tornado database, the SPC notes.

Six states set new tornado records in 2024: Illinois, Iowa, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and West Virginia.

However, despite the historically active tornado season, direct tornado-related fatalities totaled 54 in 2024, lower than the 20-year average of 78 fatalities.

To date, 2025 has only seen tornado activity increase. AccuWeather® predicts the 2025 tornado season to be the most active in 14 years, with a projected total of 1,300 to 1,450 tornadoes across the U.S. As of this Monday, the SPC recorded 833 local tornado reports, 35% higher than average for this time of year, according to AP News. 

One weekend alone in mid-May caused 28 deaths and between $9 billion-$11 billion in damage and economic loss, according to estimates from AccuWeather, as the central U.S. was hit with at least 70 tornadoes in two days. One EF3 tornado in St. Louis, Missouri, destroyed more than 4,500 homes, businesses and other buildings and structures with winds over 150 mph.

And with hurricane season officially starting this Sunday, June 1, AccuWeather warns that hurricanes can bring tornadoes far inland, emphasizing the importance for communities to be prepared.

“We witnessed tragic examples of just how far inland the impacts from hurricanes and tropical storms can reach. Hurricane Beryl spun up more than 60 tornadoes along its nearly 1,200-mile-long path from the Texas coast to upstate New York," said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva. “Hurricane Helene brought catastrophic flash flooding and destructive winds to the mountains of western North Carolina, hundreds of miles inland from where the storm made landfall in Florida. I'm concerned that we could see similar situations this year, when storms form in the Gulf and then track northward into the central and eastern United States."

With AccuWeather predicting 13 to 18 named storms and three to six direct impacts to the U.S. this year, DaSilva notes that warm water in the Atlantic basin is a significant factor for tropical development.

"The water temperatures across most of the Atlantic are above average for this time of the year," DaSilva said. "A rapid intensification of storms will likely be a major story yet again this year as sea-surface temperatures and ocean heat content (OHC) across most of the basin are forecast to be well above average."

AnneMarie McPherson Spears is IA news editor.