Overview
An outbreak of tornadoes over the central U.S. brought some of the most storm activity seen in a decade.
- Both April 2 and March 14, 2025 ranked among the top five busiest days for tornado activity since 2014.
- Cotality estimates that approximately 99,000 properties with a reconstruction cost value (RCV) of nearly $19 billion were potentially within the tornado paths across the country.
- Kentucky was hit hardest by the storms, with the state having nearly 17,000 properties at risk.
Last week, tornadoes battered the central and southern United States. On Wednesday, April 2, the National Weather Service issued the highest single-day count of tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings since the infamous tornado outbreak on April 27, 2011. Both April 2 and March 14, 2025 ranked among the top five busiest days for tornado activity since 2014.
Cotality analyzed the outbreak and can confirm that over 40 tornadoes occurred on Wednesday, April 2, alone. This count, which includes only EF-2 tornadoes and above within a 75-mile radius of NWS Doppler weather radar sites, suggests that the total number of tornadoes — including weaker or more distant events — could be even higher.
Among the most destructive were several long-lived EF-3 tornadoes that tore through towns in Missouri, Arkansas, and Tennessee on Wednesday, April 2. These violent tornadoes not only uprooted trees and flattened structures but also disrupted local communities and strained emergency response resources.
Cotality identifies approximately 99,000 homes worth nearly $19B potentially within tornado paths
Cotality estimates that approximately 99,000 properties with a reconstruction cost value (RCV) of nearly $19 billion were potentially within the tornado paths across the country. Table 1 provides the number and total RCV of properties by state.
Table 1: Properties and estimated RCV within tornado paths from March 29 to April 3
Data source: Cotality, 2025
Cotality identified Kentucky as the hardest hit state, with nearly 17,000 properties at risk.
