U.S. Tornadoes: Why This Is The Strangest Map I've Seen In 2024

T​here's been no shortage of strange weather recently. From the nation's record warmest winter, to the least Great Lakes ice cover, to record warm North Atlantic Ocean water for the time of year, and the planet's ninth straight record warm month,​ 2024 has gotten off to a weird start.

B​ut one weather map really grabbed my attention recently. Before we show it, let's first briefly lay out some context.

W​inter tornadoes are usually the fewest of any time of year. January and February typically have the two lowest tornado counts of any months in the U.S., as the graph below shows.

T​hat's because warm and humid surface air is needed for the severe thunderstorms that spawn the large majority of tornadoes. In winter, cold, dry air usually dominates, taking much of the country out of the threat.

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W​hen they do happen, it's usually in the Deep South. When warm and humid air does intrude into the U.S. in winter, it's usually over the Deep South, particularly along the Gulf Coast. This plus the active winter jet stream can provide the favorable environment for severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

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N​ow, about that strange map. Below is a plot of both preliminary reports and confirmed tornadoes in 2024 through the morning of March 15, compiled by NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center.

A​s you'd expect for the first two-plus months of the year, the map isn't overly busy. But here's what's odd about it:

It's not blank in the Midwest. In fact, there have been almost as many over the Midwest as the South, so far.

Many of those happened in February. It started with Wisconsin’s first February tornadoes since before statehood on Feb. 8. Then, fueled by record February and winter warmth before month’s end, 23 tornadoes touched down from northern Illinois into Lower Michigan, Ohio and New York state from Feb. 27-28. That included southeast Michigan's second February tornado on record, an EF2 at that.

There's n​ot as many in the Deep South. While there have been some notable events, such as Panama City, Florida, in January, there haven’t been many tornadoes away from the coast in the South, especially in February and March.

That lower South winter tornado count is typical for an El Niño relative to a La Niña winter, according to research, except for the Florida Peninsula. Recent years have had significant South winter tornado outbreaks, including January 2023, January 2020, January and February 2017.

Of the two most photogenic tornadoes, one was in Oregon: You may have noticed one tornado symbol on the map above over northeast Oregon. On March 5, multiple ghostly white tornadoes known as landspouts were captured on video near Milton-Freewater, Oregon. No damage was reported as they remained over open country.

Landspout tornadoes aren't associated with supercell thunderstorms, but occur when a growing thunderstorm's rising air vertically stretches spin along a boundary of convergent winds. Think of them as the land equivalent of waterspouts. They're typically more common from late spring into summer in the U.S., not so much in early March.

T​hen, during the March 14 "Pi Day" severe weather outbreak, a tornado tracked over the Ohio River near Madison, Indiana. This "riverspout" was captured on video on a hill overlooking the Ohio River.

M​ORE ON WEATHER.COM:

-​ March Marks Start Of Spring's Tornado Ramp-Up

- ​10 Tornado Myths

-​ 15 Severe Weather Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life

Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. His lifelong love of meteorology began with a close encounter with a tornado as a child in Wisconsin. He completed a Bachelor's degree in physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, then a Master's degree working with dual-polarization radar and lightning data at Colorado State University. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on X (formerly Twitter), Threads, Facebook and Bluesky.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives.