27-05-2025
Do tornadoes happen everywhere in the world?
On Sunday, May 25, an EF-1 tornado ripped through Puerto Varas in southern Chile in South America. It's estimated that 50-60 tornadoes occur in Chile each year, but this number could be higher.
Tornadoes occur on every continent except Antarctica. The United States leads the charge with an average of 1,200 tornadoes per year. But who comes in second? You may be surprised to learn that it's not a close race.
According to the Royal Meteorological Society, Canada comes in second place for the most tornadoes on average per year. How many is that, you ask? 100 tornadoes, and many of those result from storms that originate in the United States. China, Russia, and Mexico round out the top 5.
The US is situated in the perfect geographic conditions to produce tornadoes, especially in the Plains and Midwest. Cool, dry air from the Mountain West collides with warm, humid air from the Gulf Coast. This difference in air masses produces pretty strong storm systems that create strong wind environments needed for tornado-genesis, not to mention the high instability.
The United States also has the most extensive tornado database methods in the world, and many other countries either cannot catalog all tornadoes or simply have no method to do so at all. Despite this, the United States would still easily maintain its reputation as the tornado capital even if other countries could collect and compile tornado data as effectively.
It's important to note that while the US as a whole records more tornadoes, the United Kingdom experiences more tornadoes per square mile. The UK averages one tornado per 1,750 square miles, while the US averages one tornado per nearly 3,000 square miles. Of course, the land area of the US is vastly larger than that of the UK. If you were to select a state from the US, things could be very different.
For example, Oklahoma is considered to be in the heart of Tornado Alley. Oklahoma has a tornado density of one tornado per 1,000 square miles. The highest tornado density for a state in the United States is Alabama, where there is one tornado for every 715 square miles.
The United States is home to the most F5/EF5 tornadoes. Since 1950, the US has experienced 59 F5/EF5 tornadoes. The breakdown is 50 F5 tornadoes from 1950-1999 and 9 EF5 tornadoes from 2007-2025.
Other countries to have experienced an F5/EF5 strength tornado are Canada (1), Australia (1), Argentina (1), Italy (1), France (2), and Germany (2).
For more maps on tornado occurrences, visit Tornado Archives.
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