Since 2013, the United States has experienced a record lack of tornadoes that have been rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale by the National Weather Service.[1] This period, dubbed the EF5 drought or EF5 gap by some media outlets,[2] is the longest drought of EF5 tornadoes in recorded history.[3] The drought began following the 2013 Moore EF5 tornado; no EF5 tornadoes have been recorded worldwide since then.[4] Several tornadoes since May 2013 have subsequently been rated as high-end EF4, with many of these ratings attracting significant controversy, notably following the 2014 Mayflower–Vilonia, Arkansas EF4 tornado.[5] The drought has led to questioning whether the Enhanced Fujita scale is an effective way to rate tornadoes,[6] and a 2025 study found that the drought has had a 0.3% chance of running for as long as it has.[6] As of March 2025, the drought of officially-rated EF5 tornadoes is ongoing, spanning over 4,000 days.[2]
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "How rare is an EF-5 tornado?". WBTW. April 27, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Livingston, Ian (May 22, 2023). "There's a record drought in the scariest tornadoes. Still be scared". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ "The Last EF5 Tornado Struck Over 8 Years Ago And That's the Longest Streak Of Its Kind". The Weather Channel. December 11, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Caulfield, David (May 26, 2021). "EF5 tornado drought continues". WBND-LD. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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