Recent Tornadoes Push Missouri to Top of U.S. Storm List

This spring storm season is still in full swing but with a break in the weather there's a chance to take a look at how active it has been so far this year. At this point the number of tornadoes each state has experienced has been added up and the state with the most tornadoes may come as a surprise to some.

How many tornadoes has Missouri had in 2025?

Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District just shared on Facebook in a post today that Missouri leads the tornado count with 117 tornadoes so far in 2025.

I have learned to not trust everything I see on Facebook, so I went looking for the information myself. I don't know where they got the most recent numbers that they shared, but what I did find shows Missouri experiencing the most tornadoes as well. The Storm Prediction Center has this storm reports database which is very helpful.

By either count, Missouri unfortunately leads Mississippi in the number of tornadoes experienced so far in 2025. Illinois actually had more tornadoes as of the date of the count by the Storm Prediction Center, but the most recent storm outbreak put Missouri into the lead. No matter who ends up with most, the tornadoes this year have been catastrophic for the ones affected and certainly more will be affecting these areas before the end of the year counts are tallied.

How does the number of tornadoes in Missouri this year compare to the average?

A meteorologist from Ozarks First says Missouri has an average of 35-40 tornadoes a year. This year is trending way above average, and last year's total of 105 was also higher than average, but the 2 years before that were way below average with 21 in 2023 and only 14 in 2022.

This new data shows that Missouri is off to a fast start concerning the number of tornadoes affecting the state this year, and the peak season for tornadoes isn't even over yet. It remains to be seen if Missouri breaks its all-time record for twisters in 2025.