Map Reveals Every US Tornado Path Since 1950 — Search Your Town

Tornado Tracks Map plots every tornado recorded in the United States since 1950 on one interactive map, with each path colored by its Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating. Zoom into your town, drag across Tornado Alley, or search your address to see the storms that have actually touched down nearby.

The data comes straight from the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center, the official keeper of the US tornado record. It covers more than 73,000 tornadoes from 1950 through the most recent finalized season, including the path length, width, injuries, and fatalities for each one.

Use the near me button or the address search to answer the question people really ask after an outbreak: has a tornado ever come close to my home? The map finds the closest track ever recorded to any point you pick and tells you how near it passed.

Tornado Tracks Map

How to use it

1. Press Near me to jump to your area, or type a city or address into the search box.
2. Read the closest tornadoes panel below the map. The top entry is the single nearest tornado ever recorded to your point, with its date, rating, and distance.
3. Use the rating filter to show only stronger tornadoes, for example F3 and up, to cut through the clutter of weak events.
4. Drag the year sliders to focus on a decade, or pick a single state to see its full tornado history.
5. Click any path or dot to open its details: date, time, rating, path length, width, and the human toll.

About the data

Source and coverage. The map uses the NOAA Storm Prediction Center historical tornado database, the “actual tornadoes” file, a public domain record maintained by the National Weather Service. It spans 1950 to the present and is rebuilt here each quarter as the Storm Prediction Center finalizes ratings and corrections. The version on the page currently runs through late 2025.

Ratings. Tornadoes before January 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale and those from 2007 onward use the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale. Both run from 0 for the weakest to 5 for the most violent. A rating of unknown means none was assigned, which is common for very recent or very old events.

What each path shows. Most tornadoes are drawn as a line from where they touched down to where they lifted. Older records, roughly a third of the database, have no recorded end point and appear as a single dot at the touchdown location. Path length is shown in miles and width in yards, as reported by survey teams.

Known limits. Early records, especially before the 1990s, are less complete and less precise. Weak tornadoes were under reported and paths were estimated. Damage figures changed definition over the decades, so the map shows fatalities and injuries rather than dollar losses. The absence of a track near a place does not prove a tornado never happened there.

Important. This map is a historical record for general information and curiosity. It is not a forecast, not a warning service, and not a risk rating for any property or address. Tornado risk depends on far more than past tracks. For live warnings always rely on the National Weather Service at weather.gov and your local emergency officials.

Frequently asked questions

Where does the tornado data come from?

Every tornado on the map comes from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center historical tornado database, the official United States record kept by the National Weather Service. It is public domain data.

How far back does the map go?

The record starts in 1950 and runs to the most recent finalized season, more than 73,000 tornadoes in total. Coverage before the 1990s is thinner because weaker tornadoes were often never reported.

What is the difference between the F scale and the EF scale?

Both rate tornado intensity from 0 to 5 based on the damage a tornado causes. The original Fujita (F) scale was used through 2006. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale, a refined version, has been used since February 2007. The map labels each tornado with the scale that was in force at the time.

Why do some tornadoes show as a single dot instead of a line?

About a third of the records, mostly older ones, have no recorded ending point. For those the map shows a dot at the touchdown location rather than a track. It does not mean the tornado did not move.

Has a tornado ever hit my exact address?

Search your address and read the closest tornadoes panel. The map measures the distance from your point to every recorded track and shows the nearest one. Keep in mind that touchdown points and paths are estimates, especially for older events, so treat close matches as approximate.

Why is a tornado’s rating listed as unknown?

A rating of unknown means no F or EF rating was assigned in the official record. This happens with some very recent tornadoes still awaiting a damage survey and some older ones that were never rated.

How fresh is the data on this map?

The map is rebuilt each quarter from the Storm Prediction Center file, so it lags real time by weeks to months, and ratings can still change as surveys finish. For storms happening right now, see the live Storm Reports Map instead.

Is a place with no nearby tracks safe from tornadoes?

No. A quiet map only means few tornadoes have been recorded there, not that none can happen. Tornadoes have been documented in every US state. Always follow local watches and warnings.