This page documents all tornadoes confirmed by various weather forecast offices of the National Weather Service in the United States in May 2025. Tornado counts are considered preliminary until final publication in the database of the National Centers for Environmental Information. Based on the 1991âÂÂ2020 average, about 265 tornadoes occur in May. Activity spreads northward and westward in May, with the maxima moving into the Midwest and the Great Plains as the springtime jet stream patterns tend to occur farther north (while the South begins to see decreasing activity), while the potential for tornadic activity also increases in the Northeastern United States.
The first half of May was quite inactive with only limited tornado activity, with almost all of them being weak. Activity increased significantly around mid-month with two large tornado outbreaks producing numerous significant to violent tornadoes. Steady activity afterward resulted in an above average May with 297 tornadoes confirmed.