Tornadoes of 2016
Clockwise from top: An EF4 tornado near Katie, Oklahoma on May 9; EF3 damage to a daycare center in Ider, Alabama following a tornado on November 30; Photomontage of an EF3 tornado forming near Minneola, Kansas on May 24; a storm system in China that produced an enormous tornado in Jiangsu on June 23; EF4 damage to a home near Chapman, Kansas after a tornado on May 25; An EF2 tornado near Dodge City, Kansas on May 24. | |
| Timespan | January 6 - December 29 |
|---|---|
| Maximum rated tornado | EF4 tornado
|
| Tornadoes in U.S. | 974 |
| Damage (U.S.) | >$4.1 billion |
| Fatalities (U.S.) | 18 |
| Fatalities (worldwide) | 133 |
This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2016. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, Brazil and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions. Tornadoes also develop occasionally in southern Canada during the Northern Hemisphere's summer and somewhat regularly at other times of the year across Europe, Asia, and Australia. Tornadic events are often accompanied with other forms of severe weather, including strong thunderstorms, strong winds, and hail. There were 1,059 tornadoes reported in the United States in 2016, of which 974 were confirmed. Worldwide, 133 fatalities were reported; 100 in China, 18 in the United States, five in Uruguay, four in Brazil and two in Italy, Russia and Indonesia each.
In contrast to the year prior, 2016 was below-average in terms of tornadic activity, recording only 974 tornadoes; however, near-record tornado numbers occurred in February, especially from a late-February outbreak on February 23 and 24. This was the first year that tornadoes began to be rated EFU (EF-Unknown).