Do tornadoes happen in winter?
Yes, and they are a growing share. November to February held 10.6% of US tornadoes in 1950-79 and 14.9% in 2010-25. Mississippi has the most, with 1,061.
Winter's share by decade
Share of tornadoes from November to February, percent
Winter tornadoes by state
| Mississippi | 1,061 | 36.8 |
| Texas | 1,053 | 11.0 |
| Alabama | 888 | 32.6 |
| Louisiana | 783 | 31.3 |
| Florida | 763 | 20.3 |
| Georgia | 609 | 30.2 |
| Arkansas | 588 | 27.4 |
| Missouri | 402 | 14.9 |
| Tennessee | 384 | 26.0 |
| Illinois | 326 | 10.4 |
| Oklahoma | 288 | 6.4 |
| Kentucky | 263 | 20.9 |
| South Carolina | 207 | 16.9 |
| California | 206 | 42.4 |
| North Carolina | 186 | 12.0 |
| Indiana | 177 | 10.0 |
| Iowa | 153 | 4.9 |
| Kansas | 134 | 2.9 |
| Ohio | 110 | 7.8 |
| Virginia | 69 | 8.3 |
| Pennsylvania | 53 | 5.3 |
| Nebraska | 48 | 1.5 |
| Maryland | 36 | 8.5 |
| Arizona | 35 | 11.6 |
| Minnesota | 27 | 1.2 |
| Wisconsin | 26 | 1.6 |
| Michigan | 24 | 2.1 |
| New York | 22 | 4.1 |
| Hawaii | 20 | 48.8 |
| Oregon | 20 | 14.7 |
| New Jersey | 19 | 9.8 |
| Washington | 13 | 9.6 |
| Massachusetts | 10 | 5.0 |
| West Virginia | 7 | 4.0 |
| New Mexico | 7 | 1.0 |
| Idaho | 7 | 3.1 |
| Utah | 6 | 4.2 |
| Maine | 5 | 3.7 |
| North Dakota | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nevada | 5 | 5.2 |
| Connecticut | 4 | 3.1 |
| Rhode Island | 3 | 15.0 |
| Colorado | 2 | 0.1 |
| Delaware | 2 | 2.6 |
| Alaska | 1 | 20.0 |
| Montana | 1 | 0.2 |
| South Dakota | 1 | 0.1 |