By Paul Homewood
Last year was a busy year for tornadoes by any standard. Excluding the small EF-0s, the number was the highest on record, slightly above even 1973 and 2011:
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/wcm/#data
But what is equably notable is the relatively low number of strong tornadoes – EF-3s and above:
Only forty three developed into EF-3s, and a remarkably low number of four reached EF-4.
There were no EF-5s at all. There have been none this year so far either. The most recent was the Moore tornado in May 2013. Given there have been forty one in all since 1970, to go twelve years without is extraordinary and unprecedented.
The evidence could not be clearer. While there is no obvious long term trend in the number of tornadoes over all, the proportion reaching EF-3 and greater has fallen significantly since the 1970s.
via NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT
July 3, 2025 at 09:59AM
Iowa Climate Science Education 