One of the deadliest and most destructive tornado outbreaks impacted eight states on the night of Dec. 10, 2021. At least 90 people have been confirmed dead after more than 50 tornadoes were reported in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee.
Kentucky appears to be the hardest hit state. At least 64 people were confirmed dead and over 100 more were unaccounted for as of Dec. 13. The tornadoes also destroyed more than 1,000 homes in the state. With the most recent outbreak, 2021 will go down as one of the deadliest and destructive years due to tornadoes in recent U.S. history.
To determine the number of tornadoes that hit the U.S. each year, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center on the number of recorded tornadoes and resulting fatalities each year beginning in 1950.
The five years with the most tornadoes since 1950 were all in the last two decades. There have only been 13 recorded years with over 1,200 tornadoes, all of which in the last 30 years.
These increasing figures may be the result of advancing detection technology and more people spotting tornadoes and reporting them than in earlier decades. Unlike with hurricane seasons, there is no effective way to forecast the severity of a tornado season ahead of time.
Though tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, they occur more frequently during the spring and summer, and most often in the area between North Texas and South Dakota known as Tornado Alley. These are the states with the most tornadoes.
Click here to see how many tornadoes hit the U.S. each year since 1950.
1950
> Recorded tornadoes: 201 (Rank: 71st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 70 (Rank: 25th out of 71 years)
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1951
> Recorded tornadoes: 260 (Rank: 69th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 34 (Rank: 58th out of 71 years)
1952
> Recorded tornadoes: 240 (Rank: 70th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 231 (Rank: 5th out of 71 years)
1953
> Recorded tornadoes: 422 (Rank: 68th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 519 (Rank: 2nd out of 71 years)
1954
> Recorded tornadoes: 550 (Rank: 65th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 36 (Rank: 54th out of 71 years)
1955
> Recorded tornadoes: 591 (Rank: 62nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 129 (Rank: 10th out of 71 years)
1956
> Recorded tornadoes: 504 (Rank: 66th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 83 (Rank: 20th out of 71 years)
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1957
> Recorded tornadoes: 857 (Rank: 44th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 193 (Rank: 6th out of 71 years)
1958
> Recorded tornadoes: 564 (Rank: 64th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 67 (Rank: 28th out of 71 years)
1959
> Recorded tornadoes: 602 (Rank: 61st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 58 (Rank: 34th out of 71 years)
1960
> Recorded tornadoes: 616 (Rank: 59th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 46 (Rank: 44th out of 71 years)
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1961
> Recorded tornadoes: 698 (Rank: 53rd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 52 (Rank: 40th out of 71 years)
1962
> Recorded tornadoes: 656 (Rank: 57th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 30 (Rank: 64th out of 71 years)
1963
> Recorded tornadoes: 462 (Rank: 67th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 31 (Rank: 63rd out of 71 years)
1964
> Recorded tornadoes: 706 (Rank: 51st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 73 (Rank: 23rd out of 71 years)
1965
> Recorded tornadoes: 900 (Rank: 38th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 301 (Rank: 4th out of 71 years)
1966
> Recorded tornadoes: 585 (Rank: 63rd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 98 (Rank: 15th out of 71 years)
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1967
> Recorded tornadoes: 927 (Rank: 34th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 114 (Rank: 13th out of 71 years)
1968
> Recorded tornadoes: 661 (Rank: 55th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 131 (Rank: 8th out of 71 years)
1969
> Recorded tornadoes: 607 (Rank: 60th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 66 (Rank: 30th out of 71 years)
1970
> Recorded tornadoes: 654 (Rank: 58th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 73 (Rank: 23th out of 71 years)
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1971
> Recorded tornadoes: 888 (Rank: 39th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 159 (Rank: 7th out of 71 years)
1972
> Recorded tornadoes: 740 (Rank: 50th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 34 (Rank: 58th out of 71 years)
1973
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,104 (Rank: 23rd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 89 (Rank: 18th out of 71 years)
1974
> Recorded tornadoes: 951 (Rank: 30th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 366 (Rank: 3rd out of 71 years)
1975
> Recorded tornadoes: 918 (Rank: 35th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 60 (Rank: 32nd out of 71 years)
1976
> Recorded tornadoes: 837 (Rank: 46th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 44 (Rank: 46th out of 71 years)
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1977
> Recorded tornadoes: 854 (Rank: 45th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 43 (Rank: 47th out of 71 years)
1978
> Recorded tornadoes: 789 (Rank: 47th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 53 (Rank: 38th out of 71 years)
1979
> Recorded tornadoes: 859 (Rank: 42nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 84 (Rank: 19th out of 71 years)
1980
> Recorded tornadoes: 866 (Rank: 41st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 28 (Rank: 65th out of 71 years)
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1981
> Recorded tornadoes: 782 (Rank: 48th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 24 (Rank: 67th out of 71 years)
1982
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,049 (Rank: 28th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 64 (Rank: 31st out of 71 years)
1983
> Recorded tornadoes: 930 (Rank: 33rd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 34 (Rank: 58th out of 71 years)
24/7 Wall St.
1984
> Recorded tornadoes: 912 (Rank: 36th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 122 (Rank: 12th out of 71 years)
1985
> Recorded tornadoes: 687 (Rank: 54th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 94 (Rank: 16th out of 71 years)
1986
> Recorded tornadoes: 765 (Rank: 49th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 15 (Rank: 70th out of 71 years)
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1987
> Recorded tornadoes: 658 (Rank: 56th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 59 (Rank: 33rd out of 71 years)
1988
> Recorded tornadoes: 700 (Rank: 52nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 32 (Rank: 62nd out of 71 years)
1989
> Recorded tornadoes: 859 (Rank: 42nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 50 (Rank: 41st out of 71 years)
1990
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,140 (Rank: 19th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 53 (Rank: 38th out of 71 years)
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1991
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,133 (Rank: 20th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 39 (Rank: 50th out of 71 years)
1992
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,302 (Rank: 9th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 39 (Rank: 50th out of 71 years)
1993
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,174 (Rank: 15th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 109 (Rank: 14th out of 71 years)
1994
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,085 (Rank: 25th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 48 (Rank: 42nd out of 71 years)
1995
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,236 (Rank: 12th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 34 (Rank: 58th out of 71 years)
1996
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,172 (Rank: 16th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 26 (Rank: 66th out of 71 years)
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1997
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,149 (Rank: 17th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 68 (Rank: 27th out of 71 years)
1998
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,428 (Rank: 6th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 130 (Rank: 9th out of 71 years)
1999
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,342 (Rank: 8th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 94 (Rank: 16th out of 71 years)
2000
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,073 (Rank: 27th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 41 (Rank: 49th out of 71 years)
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2001
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,212 (Rank: 13th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 37 (Rank: 53rd out of 71 years)
2002
> Recorded tornadoes: 934 (Rank: 32nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 55 (Rank: 35th out of 71 years)
2003
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,385 (Rank: 7th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 54 (Rank: 37th out of 71 years)
24/7 Wall St.
2004
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,813 (Rank: 1st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 35 (Rank: 56th out of 71 years)
2005
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,262 (Rank: 11th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 38 (Rank: 52nd out of 71 years)
2006
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,106 (Rank: 22nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 67 (Rank: 28th out of 71 years)
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2007
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,100 (Rank: 24th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 81 (Rank: 21st out of 71 years)
2008
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,692 (Rank: 2nd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 126 (Rank: 11th out of 71 years)
2009
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,146 (Rank: 18th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 21 (Rank: 68th out of 71 years)
2010
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,282 (Rank: 10th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 45 (Rank: 45th out of 71 years)
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2011
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,691 (Rank: 3rd out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 553 (Rank: 1st out of 71 years)
2012
> Recorded tornadoes: 938 (Rank: 31st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 70 (Rank: 25th out of 71 years)
2013
> Recorded tornadoes: 906 (Rank: 37th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 55 (Rank: 35th out of 71 years)
2014
> Recorded tornadoes: 886 (Rank: 40th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 47 (Rank: 43rd out of 71 years)
2015
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,177 (Rank: 14th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 36 (Rank: 54th out of 71 years)
2016
> Recorded tornadoes: 976 (Rank: 29th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 18 (Rank: 69th out of 71 years)
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2017
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,429 (Rank: 5th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 35 (Rank: 56th out of 71 years)
2018
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,126 (Rank: 21st out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 10 (Rank: 71st out of 71 years)
2019
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,517 (Rank: 4th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 42 (Rank: 48th out of 71 years)
2020
> Recorded tornadoes: 1,075 (Rank: 26th out of 71 years)
> Recorded tornado fatalities: 76 (Rank: 22nd out of 71 years)
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