15 Places With the Biggest Increase in Tornadoes

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Captain Experiences.

Adverse weather conditions, ranging from torrential rains to severe droughts, possess the formidable power to reshape local ecosystems, often leaving a lasting imprint on the biodiversity and ecological balance of an area.

Inland, adverse weather conditions have the potential to produce tornadoes — intense vortexes of air that usually emerge from thunderstorms and touch down to the earth.

Under severe circumstances, these powerful phenomena can wreak havoc on structures and infrastructure, overturn vehicles effortlessly, and create lethal flying debris — and they’re beginning to affect a wider geographical area across the U.S. than ever before.

The following is a breakdown of metropolitan areas with the biggest increase in high-intensity tornadoes.

Researchers at Captain Experiences conducted the analysis using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For more information on how each statistic was computed, refer to the methodology section at the end.

1. Birmingham-Hoover, AL

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +19
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 35
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 16
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 39
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 917
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $67,490,634

2. Kansas City, MO-KS

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +16
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 25
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 9
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 2
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 61
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $15,235,689

3. New Orleans-Metairie, LA

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +10
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 16
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 6
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 7
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 198
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $10,622,824

4. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +7
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 48
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 41
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 18
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 224
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $29,147,527

5. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +7
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 20
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 13
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 2
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 61
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $6,635,627

6. Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +7
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 15
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 8
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 4
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 23
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $1,897,342

7. St. Louis, MO-IL

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +6
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 26
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 20
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 10
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 56
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $22,304,350

8. Memphis, TN-MS-AR

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +6
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 18
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 12
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 8
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 83
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $15,411,156

9. Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +5
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 11
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 6
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 2
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 238
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $5,288,852

10. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +3
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 4
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 1
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 1
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 10
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $521,632

11. San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +2
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 7
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 5
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 0
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 4
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $363,917

12. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +1
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 2
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 1
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 0
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 16
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $1,824,756

13. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +1
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 1
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 0
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 0
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 3
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $1,422,865

14. Rochester, NY

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): +1
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 1
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 0
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 0
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 0
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $71,382

15. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

• Total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences (2003-2023): No change
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (2004-2023): 12
• High-intensity tornado occurrences (1984-2003): 12
• Tornado-related fatalities (2004-2023): 2
• Tornado-related injuries (2004-2023): 28
• Average annual tornado-related damage (2004-2023, inflation-adjusted): $962,483

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Storm Events Database.

The researchers ranked locations by the total change in high-intensity tornado occurrences from the 20-year period ending in November 2004 to the next 20-year period ending in November 2023.

High-intensity tornadoes were considered to be those categorized as EF2 or higher on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Tornado-related fatalities, injuries, and annual average damages were also calculated from December 2004 through November 2023.

In the event of a tie, locations with the larger number of high-severity tornado occurrences during the 20-year period ending in November 2023 were ranked higher. Further ties were broken by tornado-related fatalities, injuries, and annual average damages, respectively.