This Easter Sunday, an onslaught of tornadoes tore across Southern states, resulting in at least 19 deaths. The extreme weather is a devastating reminder of nature’s power and the damage it can inflict.
Tornadoes rarely cross the minds of many Americans, but for residents of Tornado Alley and Dixie Alley, tornadoes are a common — and potentially life-altering — occurrence during certain parts of the year. Some years are far worse than others. These are Tornado Alley’s most devastating years.
Tornadoes do not typically result in injury or loss of life, though they all produce at least some level of damage. Approximately 1,200 tornadoes form in the United States each year. Approximately 75% are considered weak, classified as EF-0 to EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Tornado Damage Intensity Scale. About 24% are strong (EF-2 or EF-3) and only 1% are considered violent, being classified as EF-4 or EF-5. The maximum level on the scale, EF-5, is characterized by wind speed of 200 mph or higher and severe destruction.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed the total number of unique tornadoes recorded in every state between 1950 and 2018 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center. Total crop and property damage, as well as the total injuries and fatalities incurred each year since 1950 also came from NOAA. Property damage figures are not available for years prior to 1996, and crop damage figures are not available before 2006.
Click here to see the states with the most tornadoes
Source: Courtesy of OAR / ERL / National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)
50. Alaska
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 4
> Total damage since 1996: Not available
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $0, on Monday, June 14, 2004
Photo: A tornado is shown tearing through the landscape of northwest Alaska in May of 1999.
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Source: buzzfarmers / Flickr
49. Rhode Island
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 14
> Total damage since 1996: $1.2 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.0 million, on Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Photo: A thunder storm with lightning is observed over Rhode Island on June 1, 2012.
Source: Sue Salisbury Maui Hawaii / Wikimedia Commons
48. Hawaii
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 41
> Total damage since 1996: $60,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $60,000, on Sunday, March 24, 2002
Photo: A storm descends on Upcountry Maui. Hawaii’s most destructive tornado occurred in 2002.
Source: pictus photography / Getty Images
47. Vermont
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 47
> Total damage since 1996: $1.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $630,000, on Sunday, May 31, 1998
Photo: Storm clouds appear over sheep grazing in a field in Vermont.
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Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images
46. Delaware
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 63
> Total damage since 1996: $1.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 2
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.0 million, on Tuesday, September 28, 2004
Photo: Two men inspect a house that an uprooted tree fell on after a tornado spawned by Hurricane Irene touched down on Aug. 28, 2011, in Lewes, Delaware.
Source: Famartin / Wikimedia Commons
45. Nevada
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 93
> Total damage since 1996: $32,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $30,000, on Friday, September 11, 1998
Photo: Dark clouds gather north of Elko, Nevada, in September 2013.
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Source: Maudib / Getty Images
44. New Hampshire
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 97
> Total damage since 1996: $2.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.0 million, on Thursday, July 24, 2008
Photo: Storms clouds gather above the historic Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The most destructive tornado in New Hampshire struck on July 24, 1998.
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Source: jeepersmedia / Flickr
43. Connecticut
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 109
> Total damage since 1996: $11.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5.0 million, on Monday, July 01, 2013
Photo: A tornado funnel cloud hovers over Buckland Hills Mall in Manchester Connecticut, on July 27, 2014.
Source: rhyman007 / Getty Images
42. Oregon
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 118
> Total damage since 1996: $3.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 6
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.2 million, on Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Photo: A dust devil is shown kicking up dirt on a farm off a country road in Oregon.
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Source: Incomel / Getty Images
41. Washington
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 122
> Total damage since 1996: $3.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 6
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.2 million, on Tuesday, December 18, 2018
Photo: A twister sets down in a field in a rural part of eastern Washington.
Source: Courtesy of KTVX News 4 Utah / NOAA / Wikimedia Commons
40. Utah
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 130
> Total damage since 1996: $175.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $170.0 million, on Wednesday, August 11, 1999
Photo: A tornado blows into downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, on Aug. 11, 1999, touching off an explosion at a power substation.
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Source: National Weather Service, Caribou, Maine / Wikimedia Commons
39. Maine
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 134
> Total damage since 1996: $394,000
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $250,000, on Thursday, November 24, 2005
Photo: An aerial photo shows a swath of damage to trees from a tornado at Eagle Lake, Maine, on May 24, 2009.
Source: Damiano LoBasso / Getty Images
38. New Jersey
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 151
> Total damage since 1996: $12.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 1
> Most destructive tornado on record: $4.2 million, on Friday, August 20, 1999
Photo: Lightning strikes New York City in photo taken from New Jersey side of Hudson River. The worst tornado to hit New Jersey caused $4.2 million in damage in August of 1999.
Source: BackyardProduction / Getty Images
37. West Virginia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 152
> Total damage since 1996: $14.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 3
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5.0 million, on Tuesday, June 02, 1998
Photo: Storm clouds loom over the autumn foliage of the Dolly Sods Wilderness area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia.
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Source: Matthew Cavanaugh / Getty Images
36. Massachusetts
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 174
> Total damage since 1996: $243.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 109
> Most destructive tornado on record: $227.6 million, on Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Photo: An onlooker eyes damage to cars and a building in Springfield, Massachusetts, on June 2, 2011, after deadly tornadoes tore through Massachusetts.
Source: Courtesy of NOAA
35. Idaho
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 213
> Total damage since 1996: $4.4 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.2 million, on Monday, February 14, 2000
Photo: A tilting tornado is spotted across the Idaho landscape.
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Source: Courtesy of NOAA
34. Arizona
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 251
> Total damage since 1996: $2.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 3
> Most destructive tornado on record: $1.0 million, on Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Photo: Ominous clouds gather near Tucson, Arizona, in June of 2014.
24/7 Wall St.
Source: imatty35 / Flickr
33. Maryland
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 369
> Total damage since 1996: $260.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 10
> Most destructive tornado on record: $124.0 million, on Sunday, April 28, 2002
Photo: A line of thunderstorms passes through Maryland on Sept. 8, 2012, that would later create tornadoes in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
Source: warrenlong / Flickr
32. Montana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 425
> Total damage since 1996: $40.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 5
> Most destructive tornado on record: $32.5 million, on Friday, July 02, 2010
Photo: People photograph flattened trees from tornado in McCone County in Montana, where there was tornadic activity in 2010.
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Source: David McNew / Getty Images
31. California
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 437
> Total damage since 1996: $35.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: Not available
> Most destructive tornado on record: $18.0 million, on Thursday, August 06, 2015
Photo: A tornado stoked by wildfires moves across a ridge at sunset on May 13, 2002, near Rancho Santa Margarita, California.
Source: Spencer Platt / Getty Images
30. New York
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 456
> Total damage since 1996: $214.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 31
> Most destructive tornado on record: $70.6 million, on Sunday, May 31, 1998
Photo: A woman walks by downed branches on a street in the Park Slope section of Brooklyn, New York, following a tornado that killed one person on Sept. 17, 2010.
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Source: Drew Angerer / Getty Images
29. New Mexico
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 597
> Total damage since 1996: $26.0 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $19.0 million, on Friday, March 23, 2007
Photo: Rain shafts appear as a supercell thunderstorm develops on May 9, 2017, near Clovis in eastern New Mexico.
Source: noaaphotolib / Flickr
28. Wyoming
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 694
> Total damage since 1996: $7.4 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 4
> Most destructive tornado on record: $5.0 million, on Friday, August 12, 2005
Photo: A tornado is seen near La Grande, Wyoming, on June 5, 2009, and moved east through Wyoming.
Source: Jay Paul / Getty Images
27. Virginia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 752
> Total damage since 1996: $255.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 38
> Most destructive tornado on record: $53.8 million, on Friday, September 17, 2004
Photo: A tree lays on a house in Waverly, Virginia, after a tornado barreled through the eastern Virginia town in February of 2016.
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Source: Josh Gardner / Flickr
26. Pennsylvania
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 834
> Total damage since 1996: $175.6 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 83
> Most destructive tornado on record: $45.7 million, on Monday, July 21, 2003
Photo: Storm and conical clouds appear over Wings Field Airport in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, on July 14, 2014.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. South Carolina
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,029
> Total damage since 1996: $78.9 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 78
> Most destructive tornado on record: $8.0 million, on Friday, July 06, 2001
Photo: Tornado damage in Hampton, South Carolina, in the wake of Tropical Storm Bill in June of 2015.
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
24. Kentucky
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,034
> Total damage since 1996: $927.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 228
> Most destructive tornado on record: $101.0 million, on Tuesday, May 28, 1996
Photo: An F4 tornado, the strongest on the Fujita scale, bears down on a middle school in Madisonville in western Kentucky in November 2005.
24/7 Wall St.
Source: andyfowler / Flickr
23. Michigan
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,053
> Total damage since 1996: $369.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 241
> Most destructive tornado on record: $90.0 million, on Wednesday, July 02, 1997
Photo: An aerial shot of some of the heaviest damage to buildings in Dexter, Michigan, after a powerful twister ravaged the area on March 15, 2012.
Source: J.D. Pooley / Getty Images
22. Ohio
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,127
> Total damage since 1996: $567.2 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 260
> Most destructive tornado on record: $102.4 million, on Saturday, June 05, 2010
Photo: A damaged home in Millbury, Ohio, partially stands after a tornado hit the region in June 2010.
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Source: Scott Burton / Getty Images
21. Tennessee
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,253
> Total damage since 1996: $1.25 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 375
> Most destructive tornado on record: $101.0 million, on Thursday, April 16, 1998
Photo: Destroyed cars litter a parking lot in Jackson, Tennessee, on Feb. 6, 2008, after tornadoes swept through five southern states.
Source: Sara D. Davis / Getty Images
20. North Carolina
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,345
> Total damage since 1996: $760.0 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 128
> Most destructive tornado on record: $172.1 million, on Saturday, April 16, 2011
Photo: Jenn Zezza (L) steps over debris from the remains of a Raleigh, North Carolina, home destroyed by a tornado on April 16, 2011. Tornadoes killed 43 people in North Carolina.
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Source: Storm talk / Wikimedia Commons
19. Wisconsin
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,403
> Total damage since 1996: $388.1 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 102
> Most destructive tornado on record: $39.5 million, on Thursday, July 18, 1996
Photo: An F4-strength tornado sweeps over Oakfield, Wisconsin, on July 18, 1996.
Source: dvids / Flickr
18. Indiana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,532
> Total damage since 1996: $578.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 310
> Most destructive tornado on record: $103.0 million, on Friday, September 20, 2002
Photo: Madeline Evans walks past the ruins of a school bus in Henryville, Ind., on March 3, 2012, after the town was slammed by a tornado.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
17. North Dakota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,578
> Total damage since 1996: $114.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 38
> Most destructive tornado on record: $50.0 million, on Sunday, August 26, 2007
Photo: Tornadoes struck the northern North Dakota town of Rolla in July of 2008.
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Source: Gavin Averill / Getty Images
16. Georgia
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,703
> Total damage since 1996: $1.47 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 236
> Most destructive tornado on record: $310.30 million, on Sunday, January 22, 2017
Photo: Michael Wesley talks on cellphone as he recovers belongings from his car damaged from a tornado in March of 2008 in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
15. South Dakota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,808
> Total damage since 1996: $69.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 18
> Most destructive tornado on record: $18.0 million, on Saturday, May 30, 1998
Photo: A tornado, one of 10 spawned from a massive storm, is spotted on June 16, 2010, near the northern South Dakota town of Dupree.
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Source: Photo Bill Alkofer / Getty Images
14. Minnesota
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,877
> Total damage since 1996: $690.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 99
> Most destructive tornado on record: $166.6 million, on Sunday, May 22, 2011
Photo: Utility technician Scott Blixt checks on a downed power line following a tornado on Aug. 9, 2009, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Source: Mark Wilson / Getty Images
13. Arkansas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 1,883
> Total damage since 1996: $1.52 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 411
> Most destructive tornado on record: $223.5 million, on Sunday, April 27, 2014
Photo: Mark Wade, a resident of Vilonia, Arkansas, looks over the debris after the area was hit by a tornado on April 29, 2014.
Source: Sean Gardner / Getty Images
12. Louisiana
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,093
> Total damage since 1996: $707.5 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 227
> Most destructive tornado on record: $386.0 million, on Saturday, April 24, 2010
Photo: A police officer walks through a damaged gas station in the eastern part of New Orleans, Louisiana, after a tornado touched down on Feb. 7, 2017.
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Source: Stefan Klein / Wikimedia Commons
10. Colorado
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,181
> Total damage since 1996: $178.7 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 5
> Most destructive tornado on record: $147.0 million, on Thursday, May 22, 2008
Photo: A tornado funnel cloud is about to touch down near Eads, Colorado, southeast of Denver, on April 15, 2016.
Source: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
10. Alabama
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,216
> Total damage since 1996: $7.07 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 793
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.45 billion, on Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Photo: An overturned car is part of devastating aftermath of tornado outbreak in Alabama in 2011 that killed 300 people.
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Source: Courtesy of National Weather Service office in Jackson, Mississippi
9. Mississippi
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,272
> Total damage since 1996: $2.50 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 672
> Most destructive tornado on record: $501.0 million, on Monday, April 04, 2011
Photo: Aftermath of damage to homes in Petal, Mississippi, from a twister on Jan. 21, 2017, that killed four people in the southern part of the state.
Source: dvids / Flickr
8. Missouri
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,374
> Total damage since 1996: $3.81 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 429
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.80 billion, on Sunday, May 22, 2011
Photo: Sheared-off trees that collected debris from a school in Joplin, Missouri, bear witness to a 200-mph tornado on May 22, 2011.
Source: Jon Durr / Getty Images
7. Illinois
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,558
> Total damage since 1996: $1.67 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 232
> Most destructive tornado on record: $935.2 million, on Sunday, November 17, 2013
Photo: Lightning generated from a tornadic supercell strikes outside of Joliet, Illinois, on June 22, 2015.
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Source: Photo by Eric Francis / Getty Images
6. Iowa
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,614
> Total damage since 1996: $1.39 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 89
> Most destructive tornado on record: $750.0 million, on Friday, July 23, 2010
Photo: Galen Zumbach looks over what remains of his house in Creston, Iowa, after the town was hit by a tornado on April 15, 2012.
Source: Hanyou23 / Wikimedia Commons
5. Nebraska
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 2,909
> Total damage since 1996: $369.8 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 60
> Most destructive tornado on record: $160.2 million, on Saturday, May 22, 2004
Photo: Photo of damage from the tornado that struck Hallam, Nebraska, on May 22, 2004. The F4 -level twister was the most destructive in state history.
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Source: Timmy27 / Wikimedia Commons
4. Florida
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 3,392
> Total damage since 1996: $979.3 million
> Total fatalities since 1950: 165
> Most destructive tornado on record: $205.0 million, on Monday, February 02, 1998
Photo: A tornado turns into a waterspout east of downtown Miami in 1997.
Source: Daphne Zaras / Wikimedia Commons
3. Oklahoma
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 3,921
> Total damage since 1996: $4.15 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 474
> Most destructive tornado on record: $2.00 billion, on Monday, May 20, 2013
Photo: One of several tornadoes is observed in central Oklahoma on May 3, 1999.
Source: Brian Davidson / Getty Images
2. Kansas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 4,302
> Total damage since 1996: $1.44 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 297
> Most destructive tornado on record: $500.0 million, on Saturday, April 14, 2012
Photo: A tornado south of Dodge City, Kansas, was seen moving north on May 24, 2016, as part of a system of 30 tornadoes active in five states.
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Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
1. Texas
> Total unique tornadoes (1950 – 2018): 8,861
> Total damage since 1996: $2.38 billion
> Total fatalities since 1950: 639
> Most destructive tornado on record: $400.0 million, on Tuesday, April 03, 2012
Photo: A tornado is observed in June of 1995 south of Dimmitt, Texas.
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