There were only three states in the U.S. that avoided tornadic activity in 2024: Nevada, Vermont and Maine. (Credit: Arshad876/Shutterstock.com)
With a total of 1,735 confirmed twisters, 2024 became the second-worst year for tornadoes on record, according to AccuWeather. There were also more EF2 or stronger tornadoes than have been seen in the U.S. since 2011.
The traditional “tornado alley” saw the highest number of tornadoes. When looking at individual states, Texas led the pack with 169 reported tornadoes, followed by Nebraska and Iowa which each saw 131. Illinois and Missouri rounded out the top five states for tornadoes with 126 and 105 twisters, respectively.
Florida experienced an unusually high number of tornadoes in 2024 with 105; largely driven by hurricane activity. According to AccuWeather, Hurricane Milton, which hit the state in October, spawned more than twice the state’s daily record for number of tornadoes. Milton was also the first hurricane since the 1960s to create more than three EF3 tornadoes.
While it may have set records, Milton was far from the only hurricane to drive up the number of tornadoes in 2024. According to AccuWeather, the total number of twisters spawned by hurricanes last year are as follows:
- Beryl: 68 tornadoes
- Debby: 24 tornadoes
- Helene: 35 tornadoes
- Milton: 46 tornadoes
- Others: 5 tornadoes
In total, there were 178 recorded hurricane-spawned tornadoes. While this number is high, it still trails behind 2004, which saw 317 hurricane-spawned twisters, and 2005, which had 237.
Several other states also experienced an unusually active tornado season, including Ohio, which saw four tornado outbreaks in 2024 with a total of 82 preliminary twister reports.
There were only three states in the U.S. that avoided tornadic activity in 2024: Nevada, Vermont and Maine.
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