A Look At the 2023 Tornado Numbers

Looks like we’re finishing just above average.

It is unlikely that we see many, if any, additional tornado reports in 2023. So, with that, let’s break down the stats.

• We are currently at 1423 tornadoes, which is slightly above average for the yearly count.

• This year's bulk of the activity was based in the Southeast and Mid-South, part of a longer-term trend of increasing tornado frequency in that region.

• Still, the Plains were also very busy, which will remain the case with seasonal variability in local regions.

• That variability in action is easily seen in Central Kansas, where there were 0 tornado watches this year. That is an exceptionally rare occurrence.

• La Niña tends to shift tornado seasons east, which you can see on the map.

There were a lot of hail reports and severe weather events on the Plains overall; you can see this outlined in the severe thunderstorm watch density map below.

Month to Month

The season had an interesting flow this year, with a quieter April but very busy early and late season activity.

February had an anomalous event across the Southern Plains and a couple of big tornado days in the south. It seemed we were off to a fast start on the Plains, but that changed quickly the next month.

March was characterized by eastern-shifted tornado outbreaks, specifically across the Mid-South and Midwest. The Plains were very quiet, with only one day west of I-35.

The numbers for April were half of March, with the bulk of activity occurring over the Midwest. The Plains and South were very quiet throughout much of the month — with the big and notable event on the Plains being the April 19 event in Central Oklahoma.

Tornadoes were more common across the Plains in May, but the activity was concentrated on the High Plains. There was another tornado event in Central Oklahoma but the lower Plains were pretty quiet through the month. The month also only saw two possible EF2+ tornadoes, which is a remarkably low number. This was due to a slower jet stream for much of the month.

June this year was busier than May, which is something that doesn’t typically happen in recent years. There were eight possible EF2+ tornadoes, and the High Plains were the hotspot of the month. In particular, the Texas Panhandle had a couple of very notable tornado events, with the Perryton and Matador tornadoes.

By July the storm pattern calmed down with a major tornado event in NE Illinois being the big event of the month. Still, in early July we chased Colorado several times with mixed results.

The Bottom Line

Overall, this was an average-ish year. The count was where yearly counts tend to be, and we saw the typical variable distribution of tornado reports. It’s too early to get into specifics about 2024, but recent El Niño springs have tended to be busier than average. We’ll have a complete seasonal outlook soon!