A wild week of weather saw March go out like a lion and April start out just as ferocious. Around 200 twisters touched down across multiple states in a seven-day span this spring.
What's happening?
The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) listed 208 preliminary reports of tornadoes from well over a dozen states during the week of March 30 through April 5.
At least 25 people were killed from April 2 through April 8 due to severe weather, according to ABC News. Two of the victims of tornadoes were killed on a Georgia golf course after a tree came crashing down on them.
"[We] are saddened by the tragic deaths of two Georgians in Muscogee County today as a result of the severe weather. We ask that you join us in keeping their loved ones in our thoughts and prayers, along with all those responding to storm damage," Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said, per ABC News.
The total SPC tally of preliminary storm reports during the tumultuous week of March 30 reached 2,439.
Why is this violent week of weather important?
Through mid-April, at least 34 people have been killed by tornadoes, per the SPC. That means that, through not even the first four months of 2025, there have already been well over half the number of reported deaths seen for all of last year.
The SPC preliminary reports indicate there have been 16 killer tornadoes so far, as of April 16. By the end of April last year, there were a total of 10 reported killer tornadoes.
March through June are the peak months for tornadoes nationally, on average. As of the middle of April, there have been 527 preliminary reports of tornadoes across the country.
Only three other years since 2010 have seen more reports of U.S. tornadoes by mid-April, per SPC charts. May was the worst month for tornadoes in 2024. At least 22 tornado deaths last May came over Memorial Day weekend.
"The number of EF-1+ tornadoes that occur on tornado days is increasing" as our world warms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) report titled "Tornadoes and Climate Change - What do we know?"
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Move somewhere else 🌎 "Research suggests there is a greater risk of more off-season tornadoes in a warmer future climate," the NOAA found. "This could mean more tornadic activity at a time of year when people are least expecting it."
The NOAA report also noted that the frequency of large tornado outbreaks with 16 or more EF-1+ tornadoes is increasing.
What's being done about the growing risk of severe weather?
Although the complete connection between an overheating planet and tornado frequency is complicated, there are several forms of severe weather that are projected to worsen in the future because of our warming world.
Reducing the way heat-trapping gases are supercharging severe weather events will require cooling off our planet. Moving away from dirty energy toward renewable sources is crucial. Choices we make as individuals, like unplugging energy vampires, installing solar panels, and driving an EV instead of a gas-powered vehicle, can all help.
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