Tornado season has arrived. If it’s anything like last year, the next several months could be dangerously active.

Tommy May tosses paneling from a tornado-destroyed home on March 16, 2025, in Tylertown, Miss.Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Tornado season has arrived.

As winter loosens its icy grip during March, the atmosphere flips into overdrive. Essentially, moisture-rich air surges north from the Gulf and clashes with lingering pockets of cold winter air.

This sets the stage at the surface, and an active and strong jet stream overhead amplifies atmospheric instability by accelerating lift and wind shear — firing up severe thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes. More than a dozen reports of tornadoes hit portions of the Plains Missouri Valley, and into the Great Lakes Thursday through Saturday.

This atmospheric tug-of-war between air masses is sporadic during March; one week can be calm and quiet, while the next sees widespread tornado outbreaks.

The typical setup required for tornadoes — where contrasting air masses meet.Dan Craggs

I’ve been fortunate enough to chase 28 individual supercells over the course of eight severe weather seasons. I would book last-minute trips south to Tornado Alley or Dixie Alley, rent a car, pay for the premium insurance (just in case), and hit the road.

Of those 28 storms, I was able to film 11 tornadoes in between hours, and I mean hours, of driving with countless gas station pit stops mixed in between Texas and Alabama. One quick albeit sarcastic note: Texas is a massive state.

I would usually wait until the height of storm-chasing season to book my trip, typically in May, but March has been become much more active over the past 10 years.

Just last year, there were a record 300 preliminary tornadoes across 20 states, stretching from Texas to Florida, spread across the Southeast and north along the Mississippi River. Multiple supercells produced tornadoes as far north as Michigan, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina.

The final count may end up closer to 250 than 300 as the National Weather Service removes duplicates, but that will still set a new record.

The number of tornadoes during March across the country.NOAA

March typically sees a massive jump in the number of tornadoes in a typical year, doubling February. But lately, it’s been far more dramatic.

The 25 year climatological average for March tornadoes sits at 95, mostly spread across Texas and the Southeast.

But with the spring season starting warmer — thanks to a warmer atmosphere that holds more moisture and is therefore more unstable — the top three years for the most March tornadoes all occurred in the past five years.

And last year’s 300 tornadoes tripled the monthly average.

March usually sees 95 tornadoes, mainly across the south and central portions of the country.NOAA

March is seeing a sharp upward curve in tornadoes, but May still holds the top spot, producing more than 250 twisters each year.

What about tornadoes for the whole year? The US averages 1,230 tornadoes, of which seven spin up over New England. And both of those numbers are increasing.

The average number of tornadoes each month across the country.NOAA

If you have any trips planned south this month, just make sure to keep an eye on the sky.

When the four main ingredients are present — moisture (dew points into the 60s), instability (warm air at the surface rising through cold air aloft), wind shear (winds changing speed and direction with height), and lift (a cold front to speed things up) ... then it’s game on for twisters.