U.S. Tornado Reports Reach Record in 2004

The number of tornadoes reported in the U.S. reached a record high of 1,717 in 2004, surpassing the previous record by almost 300, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla.

“One tropical storm and five hurricanes affecting areas from Florida to the mid-Atlantic states, as well as several outbreaks in four of the last 10 days in May, contributed to the year’s total number” of tornado reports, said Dan McCarthy, the storm center’s warning coordination meteorologist. That tops the previous record of 1,424 tornadoes in 1998. The total for 2003 was 1,368.