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   Congressional
S£  Research Servi e


Tornadoes: Background and Forecasting



Updated April 5, 2023


Background

Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affect communities across the United States every year, causing
fatalities, destroying property and crops, and disrupting businesses. For example, a deadly storm system
impacted 11 states between March 31 and April 1, 2023, causing multiple deaths and injuries. Preliminary
data estimate a total of 150 tornadoes touched down over the two days (March 31 and April 1), in addition
to reports of high wind and large hail. Tornadoes are narrow, violently rotating columns of air that extend
from the base of a thunderstorm to the ground, sometimes producing winds that exceed 300 miles per
hour. Tornadoes have been reported on all continents except Antarctica; however, they occur most
commonly  in North America, particularly in the United States, which reports approximately 1,200
tornadoes per year. Tornadoes occur across the United States but form frequently in three regions, shifting
seasonally: (1) southern Plains (e.g., Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas), (2) Gulf Coast, and (3) northern Plains
and upper Midwest (e.g., North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota). Tornadoes occur mostly
during spring and summer (Figure 1) and usually during the late afternoon or early evening. However,
tornadoes can occur at any time.


















                                                              Congressional Research Service
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