10 States Where Tornadoes Increased the Most Over the Past 3 Years

Spring 2024 was one of the most active tornado seasons on record, with four tornado outbreaks each causing more than $1 billion in damage.^[1] Unusually warm temperatures have fueled more storm systems, which frequently develop into tornadoes.^[2] 

Homeowners in high-risk states have seen premiums rise in response, with some insurers pulling back coverage in certain areas.

Historically, tornado risk has factored into home insurance rates in the Great Plains. But the high-risk region dubbed Tornado Alley is shifting away from states like Oklahoma toward the Southeast, with the frequency of high-impact tornado clusters rising in Alabama, Kentucky, and Tennessee.^[3]

The shift poses a new challenge for home insurers. Population density is higher in the eastern U.S., so each tornado has the potential to damage more homes than it would in sparsely populated states. Concentrated tornado damage could drive up insurance rates for homeowners in affected areas.

Tornado severity has also increased in some states. The Enhanced Fujita scale, or EF scale, measures tornado severity from EF-0 to EF-5, with EF-5 tornadoes being the strongest.

In Missouri, where tornado frequency increased the most between 2022 and 2024, EF-2 tornadoes rose by 500%, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data. EF-2 tornadoes reach windspeeds of 111–135 mph and cause considerable damage, including destroying mobile homes and shifting houses off their foundations.

Insurify used preliminary NOAA tornado data to identify the states with the sharpest three-year increase in tornadoes. The data science team analyzed average home insurance rates to determine how increasingly severe and frequent tornadoes affect premiums in vulnerable states.

Key Takeaways

• Tornadoes in the U.S. occurred 39% more frequently in 2024 than in 2022, according to NOAA data.

• Midwestern states comprise six of the 10 states where tornadoes have increased the most since 2022.

• Indiana saw the most tornadoes — nine — that reached an intensity of EF-2 or greater in 2024.

• Insurance companies lost more than $50 billion from severe convective storms in 2023, which include tornadoes, thunderstorms, hail, and destructive straight-line winds, according to the Insurance Information Institute (Triple-I).

• Insurers are raising rates to cover damage from increasingly severe and frequent weather events. In 2024, U.S. home insurance premiums increased by 9% to an annual average of $2,584.

The 10 states with the sharpest three-year rise in tornadoes

Tornado frequency increased by nearly 40% across the U.S. between 2022 and 2024, but the storms hit some states especially hard. As Tornado Alley shifts east, Midwestern and Southeastern homeowners will contend with more tornado-related home insurance hikes. Tornadoes increased the most in these 10 states.

State	Increase in Tornadoes (2022–2024)	Average Annual Home Insurance Rate	Change in Home Insurance Rates in 2024
United States	39%	$2,584	9%
Missouri	854%	$2,724	1%
Indiana	369%	$2,068	11%
Nebraska	323%	$3,779	-5%
Illinois	271%	$2,516	23%
Oklahoma	225%	$6,081	12%
Ohio	156%	$1,485	11%
Iowa	147%	$2,560	21%
Kentucky	84%	$2,625	6%
Florida	41%	$10,675	-3%
Louisiana	41%	$8,372	39%

1. Missouri

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 854%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 105

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 6

Missouri saw 9.5 times as many tornadoes in 2024 compared to 2022, with six tornadoes reaching wind speeds of 110 mph or more, according to NOAA data. The FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) indicates the densely populated Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas are most vulnerable to tornadoes, which increases insurers’ exposure to losses.

Home insurance companies price premiums to cover this risk. Missouri’s average home insurance premium of $2,724 is 5% more than the national average of $2,584.

2. Indiana

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 369%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 61

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 9

Tornadoes have increased by a staggering 369% over the past three years in Indiana, according to NOAA data. Of the 61 tornadoes that hit the state in 2024, nearly 15% reached an intensity of at least EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. An EF-2 tornado can shift a house off its foundation.

Indiana homeowners saw an 11% increase in home insurance rates in 2024 compared to an average increase of 9% nationwide. The average annual cost of home insurance in the state rose to $2,068 last year.

3. Nebraska

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 323%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 131

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 2

Nebraska, a central state in Tornado Alley, ties with Iowa for the second-highest number of tornadoes in 2024. Both states had 131 tornadoes last year, according to NOAA data.

Nebraska’s high tornado risk drives up insurance premiums. Homeowners in the state have the seventh-highest home insurance premiums in the U.S., at an annual average of $3,779. Insurers have also pulled back on writing policies in the state. In 2023, insurers non-renewed 1 in 95 home insurance policies, The New York Times reported.

4. Illinois

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 271%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 126

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 5

Tornadoes in Illinois were nearly three times more frequent in 2024 compared to 2022, according to NOAA data. The state’s high tornado risk contributed to a staggering 23% increase in home insurance rates in 2024. Homeowners now pay an average of $2,516 annually.

Illinois is vulnerable to multiple severe weather events, from tornadoes to deep freezes, that cause significant insurer losses. Between 2019 and 2023, Illinois home insurers lost money in three of the five years.^[4]

5. Oklahoma

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 225%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 91

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 1

Tornadoes in Oklahoma increased by 225% over the past three years, according to NOAA data. Home insurers have always factored the state’s high tornado risk into rates, but homeowners will see premiums rise further as tornado frequency increases. Oklahoma homeowners pay the third-highest premiums nationwide, at an annual average of $6,081.

Storm damage claims, primarily from wind and hail, make up about 80% of claims in the state, according to Liz Heigle, chief of communications at the Oklahoma Insurance Department. Despite the weather-related challenges, the department sees “very few instances of homeowners unable to find coverage.”

6. Ohio

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 156%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 82

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 7

Ohio saw 82 tornadoes in 2024, including seven destructive EF-2 tornadoes, according to NOAA data. Columbus, the most populous city in the state, has a tornado risk of 98.2 out of 100, according to the FEMA NRI.

Despite the risk, Ohio’s competitive home insurance market drives down rates. Homeowners in the state pay an annual average of $1,485, compared to the national average of $2,584. But Ohio premiums increased by 11% in 2024.

7. Iowa

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 147%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 131

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 3

Iowa had the second-highest number of tornadoes in 2024, including three that reached an intensity of EF-2 or greater, according to NOAA data. One of those severe tornadoes, an EF-4, traveled 44 miles across southeast Iowa on May 21, causing five fatalities.^[5]

Iowa home insurance companies lost money from 2020 to 2023.^[6] The state faces a potential insurance crisis. As severe weather increases, Iowa home insurers are raising premiums and reducing coverage in high-risk areas. Iowa home insurance rates increased by 21% in 2024 to an annual average of $2,560.

8. Kentucky

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 84%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 57

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 6

In 2024, at least six Kentucky tornadoes reached an intensity of EF-2 or greater, including a Trimble County tornado that destroyed about 85 homes and businesses. Tornadoes increased by 84% statewide between 2022 and 2024, according to NOAA data.

Insurers are factoring this tornado risk into home insurance rates, which have increased by 6% in Kentucky in 2024. Homeowners in the state now pay slightly more than the national average, at an average annual rate of $2,625 compared to $2,584.

9. Florida

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 41%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 103

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 3

Florida saw 103 tornadoes in 2024, according to NOAA data. Hurricane Milton caused 46 tornadoes, a 70-year state record for a single outbreak.^[7]

State legislators have passed multiple laws to address Florida’s insurance crisis in recent years. Some home insurers lowered rates in 2024 — a sign, regulators say, that reforms are working. But Florida home insurance premiums are still the highest in the U.S., averaging $10,675 annually.

10. Louisiana

• Increase in tornadoes from 2022–2024: 41%

• Number of tornadoes in 2024: 86

• Number of EF-2-plus tornadoes in 2024: 7

Louisiana tornadoes increased 41% over the past three years, with 86 events in 2024. Hurricane Beryl produced 22 of those tornadoes, including an EF-2 tornado that caused a fatality, according to the National Weather Service.

Louisiana is vulnerable to tornadoes, hurricanes, and floods, which drives up home insurance rates in the state. Louisiana has the second-highest home insurance costs in the U.S., at an annual average of $8,372 in 2024.

Home insurers push prevention to mitigate tornado losses

Home insurers are promoting resiliency to mitigate tornado losses, says Betsy Stella, vice president of carrier management at Insurify. Their efforts include more communication with policyholders “about how to potentially reduce the risk of loss through measures such as property maintenance and upkeep, as well as using more resilient building materials.”

While insurers push resiliency measures, policyholders are ultimately financially responsible for prevention. Many insurers are requiring more frequent roof replacement schedules in high-risk areas. But a new roof averages $9,500, according to Angi, and lower-income homeowners may have more difficulty securing coverage if they can’t afford a replacement.

While some home insurers have stopped writing policies in high-risk areas, others are “offering different policy deductibles for wind and hail, and changing the way policies pay for roofs versus the rest of the insured dwelling,” says Stella.

As damaging tornadoes become increasingly frequent, policyholders can expect to pay higher premiums and deductibles while taking on more of the financial burden of repairs. Comparing home insurance rates with multiple insurers can help homeowners lower their premiums, but weather-resistant home upgrades will still likely be a good long-term investment.

Methodology

Insurify analyzed preliminary NOAA data from 2022 to 2024 to determine the states with the most significant three-year increases in tornadoes. The data science team excluded states with fewer than 50 tornadoes in 2024 from the ranking.

Insurify collected home insurance rates from Quadrant Information Services for 2024 average premiums for homeowners with no claims within the past five years and good credit. The rates reflect an HO-3 policy covering a single-family frame house with the following coverage: $300,000 dwelling, $300,000 liability, $30,000 loss of use, $25,000 personal property, and a $1,000 deductible.

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