Every year the USA faces around 1,225 tornadoes, with May the peak month for these violent and destructive storms. But some states are much more prone to tornadoes than others. Counting down from 50, using UStornadoes.com's Tornado Tracker – which has tracked the average monthly number of tornadoes from 1991 to 2015 (most recent data available) – we highlight which states are the least and most likely to endure the wrath of a twister.

Anyone living in or visiting Alaska can rest assured that it is the least likely of all America's states to experience a tornado. They are not unheard of here, however. Four have been recorded since 1950 and the last hit in August 2005. Alaska is a big place though and they've all struck the relatively flat terrain of the southwest and damage has been minimal.

Although tornadoes are extremely rare in Hawaii they do happen. They are normally quick to pass and cause minimal damage, but occasionally they can manifest as tornadic waterspouts that can be more destructive. The last tornado to hit the islands struck in April 2015. It touched down on Oahu but caused no structural damage.

Between 1991 and 2015 Rhode Island averaged 0.2 tornadoes a year. Those that do hit tend to be quite feeble and do little damage, but in 1986 a particularly nasty one struck Cranston and Providence. Registering as an F2 tornado (the third lowest on the Fujita scale, which ranges from F0 to F5), its wind speeds were between 113 and 157 miles per hour (182-253km/h) and it pulled up trees and power lines and knocked over buildings. 

Vermont see extremes of temperature with everything from snow to sunshine, but not often a tornado as the state averaged just 0.6 a year between 1991 and 2015. And the few that have hit were minor, causing some injuries, but no fatalities. New England typically has a short tornado season with July being the month most likely to experience one.

There was an average of 0.8 tornadoes a year between 1991 and 2015 in New Hampshire. Any tornadoes that have struck have done so in the peak summer months between 3pm and 9pm local time. Between 1951 and 2016 there was only one death caused by a tornado in the state.

The tiny state of Delaware experienced an average of one tornado a year between 1991 and 2015. Tornadoes might be rare here, but when they do arrive they are reasonably fierce. Most of Delaware's tornadoes have been rated as F2. There has been one F3, which struck on 28 April 1961, but it caused no fatalities or injuries.

Although most tornadoes in New England touch down in the summer months there is always an exception to the rule. A rare twister recording wind speeds of up to 110 miles per hour (177km/h) struck in February 2017. It cut off power, knocked trees over and damaged buildings, but caused no serious injuries. Overall, Massachusetts sees an average of 1.4 tornadoes a year.

Tornadoes might be rare here – 1.6 on average a year between 1991 and 2015 – but there have been some nasty ones. The Great Wallingford tornado was an F4 tornado that devastated the town of Wallingford and killed 34 people back in 1878. Another F4 hit Windsor in 1979; this caused three fatalities and dozens of injuries.

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The Silver State doesn't often have to contend with tornadoes seeing an average of 1.9 occurrences a year between 1991 and 2015. The majority of tornadoes here register as F0 and cause very little damage.

New Jersey averaged two tornadoes a year. Although generally mild, the storms have scored as high as F2. Bumping up the annual average, two F0 tornadoes hit the town of Howell on the same day in June 2017, uprooting trees, throwing cars into each other and damaging buildings.

In the 24 years between 1991 and 2015, Maine averaged two tornadoes a year. A single day in July 2017 disrupted this pattern, however, when five tornadoes touched down in Denmark, Bridgton and Otisfield, and on Moose Pond and Sebago Lake. Four of these registered F1 and one of them scored F0.

West Virginia can expect to be hit by a tornado fewer than three times a year. Between 1991 and 2015 it averaged 2.4 tornadoes a year. Although comparatively rare, tornadoes in this area can be gruesome. In 1944, the Appalachians tornado outbreak sent several tornadoes through Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. West Virginia took an F4, which reportedly killed over 100 people.

In August 1999 a particularly brutal tornado struck Salt Lake City. The F2 twister reportedly had wind speeds of between 111 and 135 miles per hour (179-217km/h) as it entered downtown. It caused $170 million of damage. That said, Utah suffers just 2.5 tornadoes a year in a state more used to dust whirlwinds (pictured).

Washington is prone to the odd twister. There were on average 2.5 tornadoes a year in Washington state between 1991 and 2015. Most of these were categorised as F0 or F1, but a deadly F3 hit in April 1972, causing the collapse of many buildings and killing six people. 

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Between 1991 and 2015 an average of 2.8 tornadoes struck Oregon each year. A particularly bad one took a 10-mile long, two-mile wide path through Wallowa County in June 1968. It largely damaged timber and farms. This image shows a light tornado that struck close to the Douglas County Fair in Roseburg, Oregon in 2009.

An average of 4.6 tornadoes hit Arizona annually between 1991 and 2015 and are more likely to strike in the north of the state. In August 2017 a rare landspout tornado blew up in Phoenix. Landspouts are unusual as, unlike standard tornadoes, the rotation of the tornado begins on the ground and is then pulled into the air by a storm.

Tornadoes in this area are largely confined to the warm months, with the strongest hitting the south of the state. While the average between 1991 and 2015 was 4.8 Idaho doesn't experience really severe tornadoes. The majority have been recorded as F0 or F1, with just a handful reaching F2.

There is quite a leap between the 34th most prevalent state for tornadoes and the 33rd: between 1991 and 2015 an average of 9.3 tornadoes hit Montana, almost double the number that hit Idaho in 34th place. Most of Montana's tornadoes are pretty gentle with the majority registering F0, but a few have hit F3.

Between 1991 and 2015 New York state experienced an average of 9.6 tornadoes a year. However, 2017 bucked the trend with 11 recorded, although they caused no injuries. Since records began in 1950 over 400 twisters have hit New York state and 12 of these resulted in fatalities. On 16 September 2010 the Brooklyn/Queens tornadoes touched down in rush hour causing dramatic damage with at least one fatality attributed to the storm. 

Tornadoes tend to be most prevalent in the east of the state from April to the end of July, with an average of 9.7 occurring each year. Most are weak and over quickly, but a more severe tornado hit Clovis in March 2007. It was recorded as an F2 and caused two fatalities and 33 injuries.

Between 1991 and 2015 an average of 9.9 tornadoes hit Maryland each year. The worst tornado in the state's history struck La Plata in 2002. The F5 tornado's 261 miles per hour (420km/h) winds killed three people, ripped up trees and flattened buildings. Dozens of homes and businesses were also destroyed.

Most tornadoes in the Golden State are mild, registering F0 or F1, but a few have hit F3, with an average of 10.6 storms a year. Although some have hit close to Los Angeles – it's not unheard of that the City of Angels and Orange County are put on tornado watch – they are much more likely to strike in the open, flat agricultural spaces of California's central valley area.

An average of 10.9 tornadoes struck Wyoming annually between 1991 and 2015. The Teton-Yellowstone tornado was a particularly severe example that carved a 24-mile path through the Teton wilderness in July 1987. The F4 tornado tore down thousands of trees, but it caused no fatalities.

Most tornadoes tend to be concentrated in the south of the state, with an average of 14.7 tornadoes a year. The counties of Genesee, Monroe and Lenawee are the most commonly hit. The Beecher tornado, which hit in June 1953, was the deadliest. It resulted in 116 fatalities and hundreds of injuries and destroyed over 350 homes and businesses.

Pennsylvania experiences an average of 16 tornadoes a year with the county of Lancaster tending to be the worst hit. Between 1950 and 2017 it was hit by 33 tornadoes. Next up was Westmoreland, with 32, and then York with 31. Twisters to hit the state have scored between F0 and F5. After a tornado destroyed Kinzua Bridge in Kane in 2003 the remains of the collapsed structure were turned into a viewing platform, the Kinzua Sky Walk.

An average of 17.7 tornadoes strike Virginia annually. One such storm, in August 1993, hit a Walmart in Colonial Heights killing four. In April 2011 a tornado blew through Glade Spring, killing three, and in February 2016 two tornadoes killed four in a single day. However, the biggest death toll was from a tornado that hit on 2 May 1929 causing 13 deaths and leaving 100 injured at Rye Cove.

April to July is peak tornado season in this state, but residents can never be complacent, as they have been known to occur out of season. On average there are 19.2 tornadoes a year, but 39 were recorded in 2017, including 17 on one day in November. Five of these were of an F2 strength. Most recently, in April 2019, there was a tornado outbreak which caused significant damage in Shelby, pictured, in the north of the state.

As tornadoes in the state can be the result of active cold fronts and the passage of tropical cyclones they have been known to strike here at any time of the year. The average however, is 23.3 tornadoes a year, with the most extreme example being 43 tornadoes touching down on 7 September 2004 in a one-day record.

There have reportedly been 1,537 documented tornadoes in Wisconsin since 1844 and on average 23.5 tornadoes a year between 1991 and 2015. Tornado season here runs from April through to September, but they've been known to strike at any time. Among the worst was an F5 tornado which hit just east of Oakfield in July 1996, injuring 12 and causing $40.4 million of damage.

From 1950 up until 2016, tornadoes were responsible for the deaths of 219 people in the Bluegrass State and over 3,000 injuries. However, on 11 December 2021 alone, at least 100 people were feared dead after a series of six tornadoes ripped through the state. The rare disaster wiped out 75% of Dawson Springs, a town in western Kentucky. A prelimenary report by the NOAA graded the tornadoes at least EF3, with winds of up to 165 miles per hour (265km/h). On average there are 24.2 tornadoes a year here.

March, April and May tend to be when the most severe tornadoes strike, with an average of 24.6 tornadoes a year. They normally occur during the warmest times of the day, with central and northern Indiana taking the most hits. One of the most well-remembered instances of tornadoes battering Indiana on one day occurred on 2 Jun 1990 with 37 of the storms causing devastation across 31 counties.

Pictured is a two-year old child standing in the rubble of the historic Mother Liberty Christian Methodist Episcopal Church on 6 May 2003 in Jackson, Tennessee. It's just one example of the average 29.1 tornadoes a year the state sees. Most hit in spring, with April averaging 8 and May averaging 6.1 tornadoes a year, but they can occur at any time. The middle of the state is the area most prone.

Neighbouring North Carolina averaged 29.1 tornadoes a year between 1991 and 2015 too. The state's largest tornado outbreak hit on 16 April 2011 when 31 were reported, five of these were recorded as F3. They ripped through major urban areas, including Fayetteville and downtown Raleigh.

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Despite being sandwiched between Florida and Alabama, which both appear in our top 10, Georgia saw a much lower average than its neighbours, with 29.4 tornadoes a year between 1991 and 2015. Fulton, Worth and Colquitt are the counties most likely to be hit. Pictured is tornado damage on Lake Burton, Rabun County, from 28 April 2011. However, the worst storm recorded was when two twisters merged into one at Gainesville, killing 203 people on 6 April 1936.

Bordering Canada, North Dakota experienced an average of 31 tornadoes a year. The North Dakota counties most susceptible to tornadoes are Grand Forks County, Steele County and Traill County. The worst day in North Dakota's tornado history was 20 June 1957 when five tornadoes hit, killing 10 people. One of these tornadoes was an F5. It hit Fargo and was nearly a mile wide.

South Dakota sees an average 32.6 tornadoes each year. The strongest tornado recorded in the state hit eastern Tripp County on 8 May 1965. Its 15-mile path destroyed 23 farms. On 24 June 2003 a record number of tornadoes hit the state in a single day, as 67 twisters wound across the prairies in just eight hours.

Between 1991 and 2015 Louisiana felt the force of around 36.9 tornadoes a year. A state of emergency was declared on 7 February 2017 when seven tornadoes hit southeast Louisiana. No fatalities were recorded but the twisters left a trail of destruction in their wake. Power lines were ripped down, leaving around 10,000 homes without electricity, and property was left in ruins including this gas station along Chef Menteur Highway in New Orleans.

Arkansas suffers around 38.2 tornadoes a year. As the state has a low population density and is largely rural however, many researchers believe not all tornadoes are recorded. April is the most common month for tornadoes here, but they do occur in the fall and winter too. They are most likely to hit between the hours of 5pm and 6pm. Pictured is an unidentified man on a phone at a business destroyed by a tornado on 30 April 2014 in Mayflower.

Minnesota lies along the northern edge of what's known as Tornado Alley, the area of America most known for tornadoes, with the state feeling the force of 41.9 tornadoes a year. The tornado season in Minnesota runs from March through to the end of November. The largest tornado outbreak in one day occurred on 17 June 2010, when 48 tornadoes arrived.

Mississippi was whipped by an average of 45.1 tornadoes a year between the years 1991 and 2015. Out of the whole of the US, Smith County, Mississippi is reportedly the most likely to be hit by a tornado. In March 1966 a brutal F5 flattened Candlestick Park shopping mall in Jackson and killed more than 50 people. Here a tree is resting on a house after a tornado that struck on 30 April 2014 in Tupelo, Mississippi, leaving more than a dozen dead.

Missouri feels the weight of an average of 46.7 tornadoes a year. On 22 May 2011 a rare multiple-vortex tornado – where two or more cyclones combine within the bigger wind funnel – devastated Joplin in the far west of the state and parts of St Louis, pictured here, in the east. Its mile-wide path left 158 dead and over 1,000 people injured.

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From 1991 to 2015 the Heart of Dixie was hit by an average of 47.1 tornadoes a year. However, between 1966 and 2015 it was subject to eight F5 twisters, more than any other state in the nation. Christmas Day has been disrupted by tornadoes in Alabama, with 17 arriving in on 25 December 2012. Pictured here is a mangled Chevron gas station in Tuscaloosa after a tornado on 27 April 2011

Between 1991 and 2015 Iowa saw the force of an average of 49.2 tornadoes a year. However 2017 was way above this average with 55 tornadoes across the state and 18 recorded in one day on 6 March that year. On 25 May 2008 a rare F5 tornado hit Parkersburg, destroying whole houses, as shown here.

With the east of the state on the edge of Tornado Alley it's not surprising that in 24 years Colorado was struck by an average of 49.5 tornadoes annually. A record for tornadoes in Colorado was set in 1996 with 98 occurrences, while May 2008 saw a category F3 tornado strike near Windsor, injuring 78 and causing $147 million of damage.

Illinois was in the path of one of the worst tornadoes in US history. The Tri-State tornado of 18 March 1925 killed 695 people, injured 2,000 and caused $130 million of damage. While the season is quite short here, running from March through to the end of May, tornadoes have been known to occur outside of this period too. Between 1991 and 2015 Illinois felt the weight of an average of 54 per year.

The Sunshine State has it all: beaches, mangroves, key lime pie... and 54.6 tornadoes a year. A lethal tornado hit on 22 February 1998 with the F3 twister killing 25 people, injuring 150 and damaging or destroying over a thousand structures. It touched down close to Intercession City then pushed through Kissimmee and onto Orange County.

Nebraska was also hit by an average of 54.6 tornadoes annually between 1991 and 2015. The majority of tornadoes strike this state in May and June. In June 2014 a rare double tornado struck the town of Pilger. It caused one fatality and injured 19. Double tornadoes only tend to occur every 10 to 15 years.

There are 65.4 tornadoes in this state – more than one for every week of the year on average. A particularly important date in the history of the state's tornadoes was 3 May 1999 when 70 struck, causing rampant destruction in and around Oklahoma City. One of these was recorded as an F5 with wind speeds topping 318 miles per hour (512km/h). Pictured here however, is damage from the EF5 tornado that destroyed the city of Moore on 20 May 2013.

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In the heart of Tornado Alley, Kansas was struck by an average of 92.4 tornadoes a year between the years 1991 and 2015. The most deadly tornado hit Sumner County on 25 May 1955, killing 80 people and destroying the town of Udall. On 25 September 1973 one of the state's largest tornadoes tore a 170-mile path through Rice, McPherson, Saline, Ottawa, Dickinson, Clay, Washington and Marshall Counties.

Texas is American's undisputed tornado capital, with 146.7 a year – that's 58% more than Kansas, one place below in the ranking. One of the worst in recent history was the 1979 Red River Valley tornado outbreak, which caused the deaths 54 people and is remembered as "Terrible Tuesday". In April 2019 two children were killed by a falling tree during a storm that hit Lufkin, east Texas, that saw winds of up to 140 miles per hour (225km/h) in Franklin, Robertson County.

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