How common are December tornadoes?

DAYTON LAKES, Texas — The day after Christmas, several tornadoes were reported from Texas and Louisiana. Videos were taken near El Campo, Texas. Damage to an RV park along with multiple downed trees was recorded 10 miles north of Dayton Lakes, Texas. 

Luckily as of the morning of Dec. 27, there are no reported injuries nor fatalities, but many of you have asked: How rare is it to have a tornado in December? Let’s raise that Weather IQ.

Texas averages the most tornadoes every year for two main reasons. First, because it is the bottom of tornado alley and second, because it has the best opportunity to have more tornadoes being the biggest state in the continental United States.

But breaking it down to December, Texas still averages more tornadoes than any other state during the last month of the year (six per December). 

Here are the top 10 states where it is most common to get a December tornado, based on the most recent 25-year average (1999-2023).

• 1. Texas (6)
• 2. Mississippi (5)
• 3. Alabama (4)
• 4. Louisiana (3), Arkansas (3), Georgia (3) and Iowa (3)

Only 16 states in the continental U.S. average one or more tornadoes every December. Most average less than one, and that includes North Carolina and South Carolina.

Looking back over the past 30 years (1994-2023), North Carolina has had 11 tornadoes documented in December and nine for South Carolina. 

North Carolina may have more than South Carolina, but the Palmetto State has had stronger ones, with one F3 in Orangeburg County on Dec. 10, 2004 and an F2 just 10 minutes later on the same date in Calhoun County. 

The last tornado reported in either state was more recent than you would think. 

A strong EF-1 tornado spawned on Dec. 10, 2023 southeast of Raleigh, producing winds up to 110 mph (one mph away from EF-2 strength). It was about two-and-a-half football fields wide. 

It shows that, no matter the month, the Carolinas always need to be weather aware.