NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information
January-October Tornado Count
According to data from the Storm Prediction Center, the annual decline of tornado activity continued into October 2011, with only 23 preliminary tornado reports during the month. The 20-year average number of tornadoes during October is 61. The preliminary tornado reports during October continued to push the annual tornado count upwards, with the 2011 tornado count encroaching on the annual record of 1,817 set in 2004. During the January-October 2011 period, 1,488 tornadoes have been confirmed with 140 preliminary tornado reports still pending. This ranks the January-October 2011 period among the top three most active such periods since the modern record began in 1950.