1,000 tornado reports: Worst year for twisters since 2011
Almost 100 preliminary tornado reports were filed with the Storm Prediction Center in 13 states over the Memorial Day weekend. The storms killed at least 22 people and have brought the 2024 tornado report total to over 1,000 twisters.
This year's total number of tornado reports stands at 1,008 on Memorial Day, higher than any year-to-date total since 2011. The historical average number of tornadoes by May 27 is 731.
The strongest tornado to hit the United States this year, a monstrous twister with 185-mph winds, destroyed much of Greenfield, Iowa, on May 21, 2024.
So far this year, Iowa leads the country in tornado reports by state with 98. Texas is second, with 96. Only Nevada, Idaho, New Jersey, Delaware and New England have had zero tornado reports.
Adding in hail and wind reports and with four days still left, this month is the most active May for severe weather since 2011, with 5,526 preliminary reports.
Back in January, AccuWeather's team of long-range forecasters predicted that May would bring a surge in severe weather, a forecast that has come to fruition.