Have you ever wondered what day of the week has the most tornadoes? Of course not. Each day has a 1 in 7 chance of having a tornado, right? Case closed, book finished, end of discussion. But if that were the case, why would I be writing this article? Valid point. Well, sit back, relax, and prepare to have your ruby red slippers knocked off because we’re going to blow you away with this info.
P.S. while you’re here don’t forget to check out our Disaster Dashboard
Let’s cover the basics…
Can Tornadoes really not “get you” on Wednesday?
Have you heard the expression that tornadoes can’t get you on Wednesday? Or maybe, “there are no tornadoes on Wednesday” because “those are the rules”. If you’re not from tornado alley, these statements may have been really confusing to you. What does the day of the week have to do with what a tornado can or can’t do?
As it turns out, yes, a tornado can get you on Wednesday. The phrase arises from many cities testing their tornado sirens on Wednesday at a set time. While the testing schedule is up to the city, it’s a routine occurrence, normally the first week of the month. Tuesday is another common tornado siren testing day.
The tests are performed in the morning, typically 10 or 11 AM, and can be canceled at the discretion of the agency responsible for testing them. If it’s cloudy or looks stormy out, they’ll likely call off the test.
Gathering the data Storm Prediction Center WCM Page (noaa.gov)
NOAA keeps a record of all the reported tornadoes since 1950. There are over 65,000 tornadoes on the list. The latest information goes from 1950 to 2019.
If we were to divide 100 percent by 7, we get 14.29%. This would be a completely even distribution of tornadoes on each of the seven days of the week. That’s almost what we see with a couple of interesting findings. Can you spot them?
| Row Labels | Total number of tornadoes | Percentage |
| Sunday | 9460 | 14.2% |
| Monday | 9340 | 14.1% |
| Tuesday | 9643 | 14.5% |
| Wednesday | 9896 | 14.9% |
| Thursday | 9790 | 14.7% |
| Friday | 9514 | 14.3% |
| Saturday | 8745 | 13.2% |
| Grand Total | 65162 |
Okay, let’s make this easier to see with a graph.
That’s better. Hmm… Well, that’s interesting…
What day of the week has the most tornadoes?
Wednesday has slightly more tornadoes reported than any other day of the week according to our data from NOAA.
Saturday has the least amount of tornadoes.
Now, before we jump to any conclusions and say that tornadoes really like Wednesdays, I’d like to point out a couple of things. The data from the government is subject to errors.
Record-keeping began in 1950 with 201 tornadoes reported. In 1953, over 420 were reported. Every year since 1963 has had over 420 tornadoes reported. Did tornadoes double in three years or did we just get better at tracking them? I’d put my money on the latter…
The number of Saturday tornadoes is significantly lower than other days of the week. It makes me wonder if the meteorologists and storm spotters took the day off. People may have been less likely to track tornadoes on Saturdays.
All said, a difference of 1.67% between the least likely day of the week and the most likely day of the week isn’t that much to write home about. Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s move on to the second part of the question.
What day of the week are tornadoes the most deadly?
While the day of the week really shouldn’t affect the number of tornadoes that occur each year, the number of injuries and fatalities can be a different story. Human patterns come into play here. We work five days a week, go to events, and travel on the weekends. Many things could affect these numbers, but no more stalling. Let’s just take a look.
| Row Labels | Sum of fatalities | % |
| Sunday | 1466 | 21% |
| Monday | 746 | 10.7% |
| Tuesday | 808 | 11.6% |
| Wednesday | 1701 | 24.4% |
| Thursday | 583 | 8.4% |
| Friday | 998 | 14.3% |
| Saturday | 681 | 9.8% |
| Grand Total | 6983 |
Ummm… Yeah, let’s see that in a graph…
Well, not to burst everyone’s bubble, but not only is Wednesday the most likely day of the week for a tornado, but Wednesday tornadoes have also caused more deaths than any other day of the week. The bad news for Wednesday doesn’t stop there. You are also much more likely to be injured on Wednesday as well.
When someone tells you there are no tornadoes on Wednesday you better make sure they have read this article!
Next time the tornado sirens sound on Wednesday, remember it could be a test, but your odds of dying from a tornado today are higher today than any other day. Anyway, on that cheery note, let’s lower those odds.
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How to not die on a Wednesday
(aka how to stay safe from a tornado)
Signs of a tornado
- A dark or green-colored sky
- A large, dark, low-lying cloud
- Large hail
- A loud roar that sounds like a freight train
- A funnel-shaped cloud
- An approaching cloud of debris
Finding shelter during a tornado
- Go inside to an interior room, preferably a basement or a storm shelter
- Listen for weather alerts on your phone, TV, or weather radio
- Cover your head and neck with your arms or a pillow
- Duck under sturdy furniture
- You can also use furiture, blankets, or a helmet to protect yourself
- If you are in a car or mobile home find appropriate shelter before the tornado comes
Know your daily tornado risk by monitoring the Severe Weather Outlook on our Disaster Dashboard
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