Tornado Alley Has Expanded Into Southwest Michigan
It's not your imagination; the number of tornadoes in Michigan has drastically increased in 2025.
Reports have shown that tornado alley has been expanding for decades. That's right, not shifting, but getting larger. Michigan is a prime example of that expansion. For example, as of May 18th, the National Weather Service has confirmed 25 tornadoes touching down in the Mitten state already in 2025. To put that in perspective, Michigan averages 15.5 tornadoes a year.
Michigan is getting dangerously close to a top 10 list that we don't want to be in this year, according to CBS News,
One more confirmed tornado would put 2025 in the top 10 for years with the most tornadoes in Michigan since 1950. In 1975, weather officials reported 26 confirmed tornadoes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The most tornadoes Michigan has ever seen in one year were 39. That happened back in 1974. Michigan had 18 confirmed tornadoes in 2023 and 2024, which is above the state average. But it's nowhere near the amount of twisters we have experienced already in mid-May 2025.
Overall, the United States had 1,910 confirmed tornadoes in 2024. That is the highest number in over 25 years, according to Statista.com.
Old Tornado Alley States
- Texas
- Louisiana
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- South Dakota
- Iowa
- Nebraska
New Tornado Alley States
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- South Dakota
- Iowa
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Missouri
- Arkansas
- North Dakota
- Montana
- Ohio
- Portions of Colorado
- Portions of New Mexico
- Portions of Wyoming
- Portions of Michigan
Tornado season in Michigan usually lasts from late March into early June. However, there is still a risk of tornadoes through August.
READ MORE: Powerful Storms Cause Massive Damage in Southwest Michigan
These Are The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes In Michigan's History
Tornado Damage in Southwest Michigan on May 7th, 2024
Gallery Credit: Dana Marshall
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