ST. LOUIS — Tornado sirens have unfortunately become a common fixture for St. Louis region residents in 2024.
Numerous severe storm systems have produced tornado outbreaks since early March. The year's most recent tornado cluster happened on Sunday, with a total of five confirmed tornado touchdowns.
Historical weather data shows that 2024 is the fourth-highest year for tornado touchdowns in the St. Louis region. But, 2024 has a long way to go before being labeled as the worst tornado year ever, according to Mississippi State University's Midsouth Tornado Database.
What year did the St. Louis region have the most tornadoes?
A total of 1212 tornadoes have been confirmed in the St. Louis region from 1805 to 2023, according to the university's database. Six years are considered high-tornado years in St. Louis' history, including:
- 2006 with 75 tornadoes
- 2011 with 47 tornadoes
- 2004 with 38 tornadoes
- 2010 with 29 tornadoes
- 1998 with 28 tornadoes
- And, now, 2024 with 33 tornadoes
May is the most common month of tornadoes in the St. Louis region, followed by April and June, according to university researchers.
Are tornados becoming more common?
The database's tornadoes-by-year graph would at first seem to indicate that tornado frequency has increased over time, but that isn't the full story.
"It was not until the early to mid-1990s that an extensive Doppler radar network was established in the United States for the detection of tornadoes. Until then, records relied on eyewitnesses to report tornado sightings, which means that if no one saw a tornado, it would not appear on weather records," according to National Geographic.
"When you remove small tornadoes from the record, the data does not suggest any long-term increase in tornado frequency. If anything, there may be a slight decline in the number of very strong tornado events. However, other research has found evidence of an increase in tornado power."
Along with tornado intensity, tornado clusters have also increased. A 2019 study found that, since 2000, around 29% of tornadoes happen on days with 20 or more tornadoes, up from 11% between 1950 and 1970.
Editor's note: "St. Louis region," as used in this article, refers to the St. Louis County Warning Area (CWA), the region that the National Weather Service's St. Louis office covers, rather than the "St. Louis metro area." Tornadoes rarely touch down in what is considered the St. Louis metro area. For example, of the 1212 confirmed tornadoes in the St. Louis region from 1805 to 2023, only 54 have touched down in St. Louis County.
Top St. Louis headlines
Get the latest news and details throughout the St. Louis area from 5 On Your Side broadcasts here.