Frequent tornadoes and tornado warnings has been a normality for families around the United States this year with the average number of tornadoes being higher than normal. With such a high number of tornadoes and the amount of damage that occurred, 2024 has quickly made its way up the list of the most active tornado years on record.
Through the month of July, the United States had surpassed the annual average of 1,019, with there being a reported number of 1,495 confirmed tornadoes. In the month of May, at least one tornado occurred somewhere in the country everyday. The highest recorded year in history was 2011 with a total of 1,894 tornadoes. The question of whether 2024 could surpass 2011 for the most tornadoes in history is still up in the air.
“Although the peak time for tornadoes in America is from late February through July, there is what is called a second tornado season in the Fall,” Brad Anderson, 10/11 news station meteorologist, said. “Sometimes there is an uptick in tornadoes September through November. There is no way to predict if this fall will be as active as this past spring was.”
On a local level, Nebraska’s average number of tornadoes is 49, coming in third place for the most active tornado states in the US. In 2024, Nebraska has had 94 tornadoes so far, second place to the record number of 110 in 2004. One place that got hit particularly hard this year was Elkorn, Nebraska with an EF 4 level tornado on April 26, 2024. A plethora of families experienced substantial losses from the storm, including a resident by the name of Dennis Kann whose house received $60,000 in damages due to a tree landing on the roof. However, the financial aspect wasn’t the only effect that the tornado had on this family.
“Emotionally, we have PTSD,” Kann said. “Anytime we hear high winds, we get fidgety and concerned for what may fall next.”
Families in other parts of the US experience similar feelings because of the amount of not only physical damage, but emotional damage as well.
“My appreciation for tornadoes has grown,” Kann said. “They are power acts of mother nature.”
As fall approaches, America will see if 2024 becomes the most active tornado season in history.
