Tornadoes of 2020 (Daily)

This page documents notable tornadoes and tornado outbreaks worldwide in 2020. Strong and destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the United States, Bangladesh, 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.

Events
United States yearly total

February 20
On February 16, the SPC first delineated a 15% risk area over the southeastern United States. On February 19, as conditions leading up to the event appeared more favorable for a larger scale severe weather event, the SPC upgraded eastern Alabama and much of Southern Georgia to a moderate risk for both straight line winds and tornadoes. Several tornadoes touched down that evening, including a long-track EF3 which struck Dawson, Georgia, leaving behind a 30 mile path of destruction. Several other tornadoes occurred, many of which were QLCS tornadoes occurring in a squall line that moved across central and southern Georgia that evening.

May 4-6
A compact shortwave trough rotated through the central United States sparking this tornado outbreak in the Southern Plains. May 5 was the most active day, with a moderate risk for tornadoes issued by the Storm Prediction Center that morning. 29 tornadoes raked across Oklahoma that evening.

May 10-11
On the Morning of May 10, the SPC issued an enhanced risk for severe weather across Iowa and northern Missouri, including a 10% risk area for tornadoes. Activity developed mid-afternoon and a tornado watch was issued. While the upper-level pattern featured veer-back-veer profiles, a few tornadoes still developed. This included a high-end EF2 tornado near Greenfield, Iowa. Over the course of the afternoon activity grew upscale into an MCS and only a few more weak tornadoes were spawned. On May 11 two additional tornadoes were spawned from the same system in Michigan.