thumb|right|A map of the tornado paths in the [[1974 Super Outbreak]]
This article lists various tornado records. The most "extreme" tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State tornado, which spread through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It was likely an F5 on the Fujita Scale (tornadoes were not rated at the time) and holds records for longest path length at and longest duration at about hours. The 2014 Pilger, Nebraska tornado had the highest forward speed ever recorded in a violent tornado, at . The deadliest tornado in world history was the Daulatpur–Saturia tornado in Bangladesh on April 26, 1989, which killed approximately 1,300 people. In the history of Bangladesh, at least 24 tornadoes killed more than 100 people each, almost half of the total for the world. The most extensive tornado outbreak on record was the 2011 Super Outbreak, which resulted in 367 tornadoes and 324 tornadic fatalities, whereas the 1974 Super Outbreak was the most intense tornado outbreak on tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis's outbreak intensity score with 578, as opposed to the 2011 outbreak's 378. The widest tornado recorded was the 2013 El Reno tornado, having a width of , and killing eight people including veteran storm chaser Tim Samaras.
Tornado outbreaks
Most tornadoes in a single 24-hour period
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Outbreaks with 100+ tornadoes in a single 24-hour period
|-
! scope="col" | Outbreak
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | Tornadoes in 24-hour span
! scope="col" | Outbreak total
! scope="col" | F2/EF2+
! scope="col" | F4/EF4+
! scope="col" | Deaths
|-
| 2011 Super Outbreak
| 2011
| US, CAN
| 223 <small>(05:00 UTC April 27–28)</small><br />226 <small>(05:40 UTC April 27–28)</small>
| 367
| 86
| 15
| 324
|-
| 1974 Super Outbreak
| 1974
| US, CAN
| 148 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 148
| 96
| 30
| 319
|-
| Tornado outbreak of March 31 – April 1, 2023
| 2023
| US
| 136 <small>(19:00 UTC March 31–April 1)</small>
| 146
| 44
| 1
| 27
|-
| 2020 Easter tornado outbreak
| 2020
| US
| 132 <small>(14:40 UTC April 12–13)</small>
| 141
| 35
| 3
| 32
|-
| December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak
| 2021
| US
| 120 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 120
| 33
| 0
| 0
|-
| Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999
| 1999
| US
| 116 <small>(21:10 UTC January 21–22)</small>
| 128
| 23
| 1
| 9
|-
|Tornado outbreak of December 28–29, 2024
|2024
|US
|107 <small>(14:22 UTC December 28–29)</small>
|108
|6
|0
|1
|-
| 1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
| 1981
| UK
| 104 <small>(Duration of outbreak)</small>
| 104
| 2
| 0
| 0
|}
The 2011 Super Outbreak was the largest tornado outbreak spawned by a single weather system in recorded history; it produced 367 tornadoes from April 25–28, with 223 of those in a single 24-hour period on April 27 from midnight to midnight CDT, fifteen of which were violent EF4–EF5 tornadoes. 348 deaths occurred in that outbreak, of which 324 were tornado-related. The outbreak largely contributed to the record for most tornadoes in April with 780 tornadoes, almost triple the prior record (267 in April 1974). The overall record for a single month was 542 in May 2003, which was also broken.
The 1974 Super Outbreak of April 3–4, which spawned 148 confirmed tornadoes across eastern North America, held the record for the most prolific tornado outbreak in terms of overall tornadoes for many years, and as of October 2025, it still holds the record for most violent, long-track tornadoes (7 F5 and 23 F4 tornadoes). More significant tornadoes occurred within 24 hours than any other day on record. Due to advancements in technology allowing for more accuracy in tornado reporting, the 2011 and 1974 tornado counts are not directly comparable.
Most violent tornadoes (F4/EF4 and F5/EF5) in an outbreak
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Outbreaks with fifteen or more F4/EF4 and F5/EF5 tornadoes
|-
! scope="col" | Outbreak
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Country
! scope="col" | F4/EF4
! scope="col" | F5/EF5
! scope="col" | Total
! scope="col" | Deaths
|-
| 1974 Super Outbreak
| 1974
| US, CAN
| 23
| 7
| 30
| 271
|-
| May–June 1917 tornado outbreak sequence
| 1917
| US
| 14
| 1
| 15
| 383
|-
| 2011 Super Outbreak
| 2011
| US, CAN
| 11
| 4
| 15
Greatest number of tornadoes spawned from a hurricane
The greatest number of tornadoes spawned from a hurricane is 120 from Hurricane Ivan in September 2004, followed by Hurricane Beulah with 115 in September 1967, and 103 from Hurricane Frances in September 2004 (a couple weeks before Ivan). Hurricanes prior to the 1990s, when tornado records were more sparse, perhaps produced more tornadoes than were officially documented.
Tornadoes annually and monthly
Most tornadoes for each calendar month
{| class="wikitable"
|+Highest confirmed number of tornadoes by month in United States
!Month
!January
!February
!March
!April
!May
!June
!July
!August
!September
!October
!November
!December
|-
|Year
|1999
|2008
|2025
|2011
|2024
|1992
|1993
|2020
|2004
|2021
|1992
|2021
|-
|Total
|216
|147
|242
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+Largest continuous tornado outbreak by month
!Month
!Event
!Tornadoes
|-
!January
|Tornado outbreak of January 21–23, 1999
|128
|-
!February
|2008 Super Tuesday tornado outbreak
|87
|-
!March
|Tornado outbreak of March 13–16, 2025
|118
|-
!April
|2011 Super Outbreak
|367
|-
!May
|Tornado outbreak sequence of May 2004
|389
|-
!June
|Tornado outbreak of June 14–18, 1992
|170
|-
!July
|Severe weather sequence of July 13–16, 2024
|94
|-
!August
|Hurricane Katrina tornado outbreak
|57
|-
!September
|Hurricane Ivan tornado outbreak
|120
|-
!October
|October 2010 North American storm complex
|69
|-
!November
|Tornado outbreak of November 22–24, 2004
1981 United Kingdom tornado outbreak
|104
|-
!December
|December 2021 Midwest derecho and tornado outbreak
|120
|}
Most tornadoes in a single year
On average, 1,200 tornadoes happen in a year in the United States. The most confirmed tornadoes in a single year was in 2004, which had 1817 confirmed tornadoes. This was mostly boosted by a large tornado outbreak sequence in May 2004, where 509 tornadoes occurred. It also had help from a very active fall and winter tornado season.
Tornado casualties and damage
Deadliest single tornado in world history
Officially, the deadliest single tornado occurred on April 26, 1989, in Bangladesh, where a large tornado took at least 1,300 lives. In 2022, this tornado's death toll was challenged in a database of Bangladeshi tornadoes maintained by Dr. Fahim Sufi with the Australian Government, claiming that the April 14, 1969, Dhaka tornado, which killed 922 people, was the deadliest in Bangladesh, with the Jamalpur tornado killing only 570.
Deadliest single tornado in US history
The Tri-State tornado of March 18, 1925, killed 695 people in Missouri (11), Illinois (613), and Indiana (71). The outbreak it occurred with was also the deadliest known tornado outbreak, with a combined death toll of 747 across the Mississippi River Valley.
Most intense tornado damage
The original Fujita scale, developed by Ted Fujita, has never been used to assign a final rating over F5 intensity; however, two tornadoes, the 1970 Lubbock tornado and 1974 Xenia tornado, were initially given F6 ratings by Fujita himself, but both were eventually downgraded to F5 ratings. The 1976 Jordan tornado was described by Fujita as the most intense tornado damage he had surveyed up to that point.
A more recent example of extreme damage was at the Double Creek Estates of Jarrell, Texas; the 1997 Jarrell tornado stalled over the area at peak F5 intensity, destroying every home in the subdivision, and killing 27. Extreme ground scouring and high-end F5 damage was surveyed. The 2008 Parkersburg tornado was reported by mayor Bob Haylock to have been so intense that a majority of the fatalities out of Parkersburg were from people taking shelter in basements underground. The 2011 Philadelphia, Mississippi tornado caused extreme ground scouring across its path; up to of soil was removed from the environment, presumably from intense subvortices.
Most damaging tornado
The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado on May 27, incurred the most damages adjusted for inflation, with an estimated $5.36 billion (2022 USD). In raw numbers, the Joplin tornado of May 22, 2011, is considered the costliest tornado in recent history, with damage totals at $3.71 billion (2022 USD). Until April 2011, the Bridge Creek–Moore tornado of May 3, 1999, was the most costly, which was later surpassed by the 2011 Tuscaloosa–Birmingham tornado, with a damage total of $3.18 billion (2022 USD).
Lists of damage and fatality records
Largest and most powerful tornadoes
Highest winds observed in a tornado
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="width:100%;"
|+ Wind speed of or 116 m/s in tornadoes observed by radar, organized by the highest confirmed wind speed.
|-
! scope="col" style="width:4%;" class="unsortable"| Official rating
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Date
! scope="col" style="width:15%;" class="unsortable"| Location
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Minimum peak wind speed
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Maximum peak wind speed
! scope="col" style="width:5%;"| Highest confirmed peak wind speed
|-
! style="background-color:#" |F5
|
| Bridge Creek, Oklahoma
|
|
|