From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

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:

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 overall, the proportion reaching EF-3 and greater has fallen significantly since the 1970s.