There have been estimated at least 109 F5 tornadoes in the U.S. Since the introduction of the Enhanced Fujita scale there have been 9 EF5 tornadoes, which is essentially equivalent to an F5.
Note that this number should be taken with a grain of salt as it can be difficult to distinguish between F4 and F5 damage, especially in records that must be evaluated based on historical accounts.
That record is held by the dates running from Friday, April 22 to Thursday, April 28, 2011 during which there were 392 recorded tornadoes in the U.S. More than half of these occurred on April 27.
Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the United States during the spring months of April, May, and June. However, tornadoes can occur throughout the year with some regions experiencing a secondary peak in tornado activity during the fall months.
May is the month with the most tornadoesThe peak months for tornadoes is April, May and June. However, the most common month for tornadoes to occur is in May. May is the month with the highest frequency of tornadoes, but the most powerful tornadoes have seemed to occur a bit earlier in the year in April. April is the month when the most rare and gigantic F5 tornadoes happen. April also has the highest average number of deaths from tornadoes. Tornadoes can happen any time of the year if the conditions are right!
The peak months for tornadoes in Texas are typically April, May, and June, with May being the busiest month. This is when warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico interacts with cooler, drier air from the north, creating the conditions for severe weather outbreaks.
Tennessee gets tornadoes in all months, but they are most common in April and May. Here are the total numbers of tornado in Tennessee for each month from 1991-2011 January: 37 February: 44 March: 46 April: 189 May: 149 June: 40 July: 10 August: 8 September: 5 October: 21 November: 64 December: 1
There were no recorded tornadoes in Georgia in May of 2011.
The record for tornadoes in a single month (at least for the U.S.) is April of 2011 with about 750 tornadoes. Tornado activity usually peaks in May.
There were many tornado outbreaks in 2011. Here are the figures for the most notable outbreaks: April 14-16: 323 reported, 178 confirmed April 25-28: 492 reported, 350 confirmed May 21-26: 319 reported, 239 confirmed The number of confirmed tornadoes is lower because not all reported tornadoes are confirmed and some tornadoes were reported more than once.
Up through May 1 the United States had 913 tornadoes in 2011 (out of 1692 for the whole year). Worldwide figures are not available.
The most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history (with damage values adjusted for 2011 dollars, rounded to the nearest million) are.Joplin, Missouri, May 22 2011 $2,800 millionTuscaloosa, Alabama, April 27, 2011 $2,200 millionOklahoma City Oklahoma May 3 1999 $1,358 millionHackleburg, Alabama April 27, 2011 $1,250 millionWichita Falls, Texas April 10, 1979 $1,247 million
There were many tornadoes that went through NC that day. The current death toll is 22 I believe, but it may go up still.
That record is held by the dates running from Friday, April 22 to Thursday, April 28, 2011 during which there were 392 recorded tornadoes in the U.S. More than half of these occurred on April 27.
Moore Oklahoma has been hit by many tornadoes. The suburb suffered major damage on May 3, 1999; May 8, 2003; and May 20, 2013. Other tornadoes hit Moore on April 28, 1960; May 6, 1961; May 7, 1961; August 1, 1974; October 4, 1998; May 10, 2010; May 24, 2011; and May 31 2013.
It is unusual. The months of April, May, and June are generally the most active. Looking at those 3 months in the years 1990-2011 shows that only 4 of them had 400 or more tornadoes: May of 2003 with 542 tornadoes May of 2004 with 509 May of 2008 with 462 April of 2011 with a record 758 tornadoes. June of 1992 and May of 1999 came close, with 399 and 392 tornadoes respectively.
There were roughly 100 tornadoes in the mid-April 2011 outbreak. Though that is extremely significant, you will often hear larger numbers (200+) reported in the media due to the way tornadoes are tallied. Reports of tornadoes are listed by the Storm Prediction Center first, but many of these reports refer to the same tornado. So there may have been 250 reports, but only 100 separate tornadoes.
Tornadoes are most likely to occur in the United States during the spring months of April, May, and June. However, tornadoes can occur throughout the year with some regions experiencing a secondary peak in tornado activity during the fall months.
It's special because April has the highest number of tornado fatalities of any month, though strangely May has the highest number of tornadoes.