Special Report

States With the Most Tornadoes

mdesigner125 / Getty Images

Some people know of tornadoes only through movies and news reports. But for people in Tornado Alley and Dixie Alley, tornadoes are a common occurrence during certain parts of the year. In states like Texas and Alabama, residents are all too familiar with the need to rush for the shelter of the bathtub in response to a tornado warning.

Those living in areas prone to tornadoes are often willing to accept the occasional danger to live in nicer-weather regions. In fact, many of the states with the most tornadoes are also home to some of the cities with the best weather.

Tornadoes do not typically result in damage, injury, or loss of life. Approximately 1,200 tornadoes form in the United States each year. More than 75% are considered weak, classified as EF-0 to EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Intensity Scale. Only about 5% are on the upper end of the intensity scale, EF-3 to EF-5, and are considered violent. An even smaller percentage reach the maximum level on the scale, EF-5, characterized by wind speed of 200 mph or higher and severe destruction.

24/7 Wall St. reviewed for every state the total number of unique tornadoes recorded between 1950 and the middle of 2018 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center. Total crop and property damage, as well as the total injuries and fatalities incurred for every year since 1950 also came from NOAA. Property damage figures are not available for years prior to 1996, and crop damage figures are not available until 2006.

Click here to see the states with the most tornadoes

Courtesy of OAR / ERL / National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

50. Alaska
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 4
> Total damage since 1996: Not available
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: Not available

Photo: A tornado is shown tearing through the landscape of northwest Alaska in May of 1999.

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buzzfarmers / Flickr

49. Rhode Island
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 11
> Total damage since 1996: $155,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $60,000, on Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Photo: A thunder storm with lightning is observed over Rhode Island on June 1, 2012.

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Sue Salisbury Maui Hawaii / Wikimedia Commons

48. Hawaii
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 41
> Total damage since 1996: $60,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $60,000, on Sunday, March 24, 2002

Photo: A storm descends on Upcountry Maui. Hawaii’s most destructive tornado occurred in 2002.

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pictus photography / Getty Images

47. Vermont
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 45
> Total damage since 1996: $1.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $630,000, on Sunday, May 31, 1998

Photo: Storm clouds appear over sheep grazing in a field in Vermont.

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Mark Wilson / Getty Images

46. Delaware
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 63
> Total damage since 1996: $1.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 2
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1 million, on Tuesday, September 28, 2004

Photo: Two men inspect a house that an uprooted tree fell on after a tornado spawned by Hurricane Irene touched down on Aug. 28, 2011, in Lewes, Delaware.

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Famartin / Wikimedia Commons

45. Nevada
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 92
> Total damage since 1996: $32,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $30,000, on Friday, September 11, 1998

Photo: Dark clouds gather north of Elko, Nevada, in September 2013.

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Maudib / Getty Images

44. New Hampshire
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 94
> Total damage since 1996: $2.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.0 million, on Thursday, July 24, 2008

Photo: Storms clouds gather above the historic Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The most destructive tornado in New Hampshire struck on July 24, 1998.

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jeepersmedia / Flickr

43. Connecticut
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 102
> Total damage since 1996: $11.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5 million, on Monday, July 1, 2013

Photo: A tornado funnel cloud hovers over Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester Connecticut, on July 27, 2014.

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rhyman007 / Getty Images

42. Oregon
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 113
> Total damage since 1996: $3.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 6
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.2 million, on Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Photo: A dust devil is shown kicking up dirt on a farm off a country road in Oregon.

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Incomel / Getty Images

41. Washington
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 120
> Total damage since 1996: $2.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 6
> Most destructive tornado on record: $525,000, on Thursday, January 10, 2008

Photo: A twister sets down in a field in a rural part of eastern Washington.

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Courtesy of KTVX News 4 Utah / NOAA / Wikimedia Commons

40. Utah
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 130
> Total damage since 1996: $175.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $170 million, on Wednesday, August 11, 1999

Photo: A tornado blows into downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 11, 1999, touching off an explosion at a power substation.

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National Weather Service, Caribou, Maine / Wikimedia Commons

39. Maine
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 134
> Total damage since 1996: $394,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $250,000, on Thursday, November 24, 2005

Photo: An aerial photo shows a swath of damage to trees from a tornado at Eagle Lake, Maine, on May 24, 2009.

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BackyardProduction / Getty Images

38. West Virginia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 149
> Total damage since 1996: $14.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 3
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5 million, on Tuesday, June 2, 1998

Photo: Storm clouds loom over the autumn foliage of the Dolly Sods Wilderness area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia.

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Damiano LoBasso / Getty Images

37. New Jersey
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 150
> Total damage since 1996: $12.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $4.2 million, on Friday, August 20, 1999

Photo: Lightning strikes New York City in photo taken from New Jersey side of Hudson River. The worst tornado to hit New Jersey caused $4.2 million in damage in August of 1999.

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Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images

36. Massachusetts
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 167
> Total damage since 1996: $238.4 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 109
> Most destructive tornado on record: $227.6 million, on Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Photo: An onlooker eyes damage to cars and a building in Springfield, Massachusetts, on June 2, 2011, after deadly tornadoes tore through Massachusetts.

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Courtesy of NOAA

35. Idaho
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 213
> Total damage since 1996: $4.4 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 0
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.2 million, on Monday, February 14, 2000

Photo: A tilting tornado is spotted across the Idaho landscape.

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Courtesy of NOAA

34. Arizona
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 246
> Total damage since 1996: $2.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 3
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1 million, on Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Photo: Ominous clouds gather near Tucson, Arizona, in June of 2014.

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imatty35 / Flickr

33. Maryland
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 363
> Total damage since 1996: $260 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 8
> Most destructive tornado on record: $124 million, on Sunday, April 28, 2002

Photo: A line of thunderstorms passes through Maryland on Sept. 8, 2012, that would later create tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

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warrenlong / Flickr

32. Montana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 423
> Total damage since 1996: $40.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 5
> Most destructive tornado on record: $32.5 million, on Friday, July 2, 2010

Photo: People photograph flattened trees from tornado in McCone County in Montana, where there was tornadic activity in 2010.

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David McNew / Getty Images

31. California
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 435
> Total damage since 1996: $35.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $18 million, on Thursday, August 6, 2015

Photo: A tornado stoked by wildfires moves across a ridge at sunset on May 13, 2002, near Rancho Santa Margarita, California.

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Spencer Platt / Getty Images

30. New York
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 444
> Total damage since 1996: $214.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 30
> Most destructive tornado on record: $70.6 million, on Sunday, May 31, 1998

Photo: A woman walks by downed branches on a street in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, following a tornado that killed one person on Sept. 17, 2010.

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Drew Angerer / Getty Images

29. New Mexico
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 592
> Total damage since 1996: $26 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $19 million, on Friday, March 23, 2007

Photo: Rain shafts appear as a supercell thunderstorm develops on May 9, 2017, near Clovis in eastern New Mexico.

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noaaphotolib / Flickr

28. Wyoming
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 674
> Total damage since 1996: $7.4 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5 million, on Friday, August 12, 2005

Photo: A tornado is seen near La Grande, Wyoming, on June 5, 2009, and moved east through Wyoming.

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Jay Paul / Getty Images

27. Virginia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 724
> Total damage since 1996: $253.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 37
> Most destructive tornado on record: $53.8 million, on Friday, September 17, 2004

Photo: A tree lays on a house in Waverly, Virginia, after a tornado barreled through the eastern Virginia town in February of 2016.

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Josh Gardner / Flickr

26. Pennsylvania
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 809
> Total damage since 1996: $174.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 83
> Most destructive tornado on record: $45.7 million, on Monday, July 21, 2003

Photo: Storm and conical clouds appear over Wings Field Airport in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 2014.

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

25. South Carolina
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,001
> Total damage since 1996: $78.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 78
> Most destructive tornado on record: $8 million, on Friday, July 6, 2001

Photo: Tornado damage in Hampton, South Carolina, in the wake of Tropical Storm Bill in June of 2015.

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

24. Kentucky
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,002
> Total damage since 1996: $926 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 228
> Most destructive tornado on record: $101 million, on Tuesday, May 28, 1996

Photo: An F4 tornado, the strongest on the Fujita scale, bears down on a middle school in Madisonville in western Kentucky in November 2005.

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andyfowler / Flickr

23. Michigan
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,038
> Total damage since 1996: $367 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 241
> Most destructive tornado on record: $90 million, on Wednesday, July 2, 1997

Photo: An aerial shot of some of the heaviest damage to buildings in Dexter, Michigan, after a powerful twister ravaged the area on March 15, 2012.

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J.D. Pooley / Getty Images

22. Ohio
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,106
> Total damage since 1996: $566.1 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 260
> Most destructive tornado on record: $102.4 million, on Saturday, June 5, 2010

Photo: A damaged home in Millbury, Ohio, partially stands after a tornado hit the region in June 2010.

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Scott Burton / Getty Images

21. Tennessee
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,225
> Total damage since 1996: $1.24 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 374
> Most destructive tornado on record: $101 million, on Thursday, April 16, 1998

Photo: Destroyed cars litter a parking lot in Jackson, Tennessee, on Feb. 6, 2008, after tornadoes swept through five southern states.

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Sara D. Davis / Getty Images

20. North Carolina
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,306
> Total damage since 1996: $758.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 128
> Most destructive tornado on record: $172.1 million, on Saturday, April 16, 2011

Photo: Jenn Zezza (L) steps over debris from the remains of a Raleigh, North Carolina, home destroyed by a tornado on April 16, 2011. Tornadoes killed 43 people in North Carolina.

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Storm talk / Wikimedia Commons

19. Wisconsin
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,372
> Total damage since 1996: $387.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 102
> Most destructive tornado on record: $39.5 million, on Thursday, July 18, 1996

Photo: An F4-strength tornado sweeps over Oakfield, Wisconsin, on July 18, 1996.

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dvids / Flickr

18. Indiana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,495
> Total damage since 1996: $578.1 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 310
> Most destructive tornado on record: $103 million, on Friday, September 20, 2002

Photo: Madeline Evans walks past the ruins of a school bus in Henryville, Ind., on March 3, 2012, after the town was slammed by a tornado.

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

17. North Dakota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,565
> Total damage since 1996: $112.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 38
> Most destructive tornado on record: $50 million, on Sunday, August 26, 2007

Photo: Tornadoes struck the northern North Dakota town of Rolla in July of 2008.

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Gavin Averill / Getty Images

16. Georgia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,668
> Total damage since 1996: $1.47 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 236
> Most destructive tornado on record: $310.3 million, on Sunday, January 22, 2017

Photo: Michael Wesley talks on cellphone as he recovers belongings from his car damaged from a tornado in March of 2008 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

15. South Dakota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,798
> Total damage since 1996: $69.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 18
> Most destructive tornado on record: $18 million, on Saturday, May 30, 1998

Photo: A tornado, one of 10 spawned from a massive storm, is spotted on June 16, 2010, near the northern South Dakota town of Dupree.

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Photo Bill Alkofer / Getty Images

14. Minnesota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,837
> Total damage since 1996: $688.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 99
> Most destructive tornado on record: $166.6 million, on Sunday, May 22, 2011

Photo: Utility technician Scott Blixt checks on a downed power line following a tornado on Aug. 9, 2009, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Mark Wilson / Getty Images

13. Arkansas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 1,841
> Total damage since 1996: $1.52 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 411
> Most destructive tornado on record: $223.5 million, on Sunday, April 27, 2014

Photo: Mark Wade, a resident of Vilonia, Arkansas, looks over the debris after the area was hit by a tornado on April 29, 2014.

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Sean Gardner / Getty Images

12. Louisiana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,031
> Total damage since 1996: $704.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 227
> Most destructive tornado on record: $386 million, on Saturday, April 24, 2010

Photo: A police officer walks through a damaged gas station in the eastern part of New Orleans, Louisiana, after a tornado touched down on Feb. 7, 2017.

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Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

11. Alabama
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,161
> Total damage since 1996: $7.1 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 793
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.45 billion, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Photo: An overturned car is part of devastating aftermath of tornado outbreak in Alabama in 2011 that killed 300 people.

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Stefan Klein / Wikimedia Commons

10. Colorado
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,176
> Total damage since 1996: $178.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 5
> Most destructive tornado on record: $147 million, on Thursday, May 22, 2008

Photo: A tornado funnel cloud is about to touch down near Eads, Colorado, southeast of Denver, on April 15, 2016.

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Courtesy of National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi

9. Mississippi
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,198
> Total damage since 1996: $2.49 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 672
> Most destructive tornado on record: $501 million, on Monday, April 4, 2011

Photo: Aftermath of damage to homes in Petal, Mississippi, from a twister on Jan. 21, 2017, that killed four people in the southern part of the state.

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dvids / Flickr

8. Missouri
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,319
> Total damage since 1996: $3.81 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 428
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.8 billion, on Sunday, May 22, 2011

Photo: Sheared-off trees that collected debris from a school in Joplin, Missouri, bear witness to a 200-mph tornado on May 22, 2011.

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Jon Durr / Getty Images

7. Illinois
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,495
> Total damage since 1996: $1.56 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 232
> Most destructive tornado on record: $935.23 million, on Sunday, November 17, 2013

Photo: Lightning generated from a tornadic supercell strikes outside of Joliet, Illinois, on June 22, 2015.

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Photo by Eric Francis / Getty Images

6. Iowa
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,558
> Total damage since 1996: $1.39 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 89
> Most destructive tornado on record: $750 million, on Friday, July 23, 2010

Photo: Galen Zumbach looks over what remains of his house in Creston, Iowa, after the town was hit by a tornado on April 15, 2012.

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Hanyou23 / Wikimedia Commons

5. Nebraska
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 2,882
> Total damage since 1996: $369.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 60
> Most destructive tornado on record: $160.2 million, on Saturday, May 22, 2004

Photo: Photo of damage from the tornado that struck Hallam, Nebraska, on May 22, 2004. The F4 -level twister was the most destructive in state history.

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Timmy27 / Wikimedia Commons

4. Florida
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 3,359
> Total damage since 1996: $977.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 165
> Most destructive tornado on record: $205 million, on Monday, February 2, 1998

Photo: A tornado turns into a waterspout east of downtown Miami in 1997.

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Daphne Zaras / Wikimedia Commons

3. Oklahoma
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 3,848
> Total damage since 1996: $4.15 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 474
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2 billion, on Monday, May 20, 2013

Photo: One of several tornadoes is observed in central Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.

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Brian Davidson / Getty Images

2. Kansas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 4,254
> Total damage since 1996: $1.43 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 297
> Most destructive tornado on record: $500 million, on Saturday, April 14, 2012

Photo: A tornado south of Dodge City, Kansas, was seen moving north on May 24, 2016, as part of a system of 30 tornadoes active in five states.

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Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons

1. Texas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – August 2018): 8,782
> Total damage since 1996: $2.38 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 639
> Most destructive tornado on record: $400 million, on Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Photo: A tornado is observed in June of 1995 south of Dimmitt, Texas.

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