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2023 sets tornado record for first 3 months of year

The Storm Prediction Center says there have been more than 400 tornadoes so far this year.

By Aaron Barker Source FOX Weather

Mississippi tornado's 29-mile path of destruction can be seen from space

Touching down near Black Hawk and continuing east through Winona, a powerful EF-3 tornado in Mississippi left behind a 29-mile-long path of destruction that can be seen from space.

The number of tornadoes during the year's first three months has set a record.

According to the Storm Prediction Center, the preliminary count of tornadoes during January, February and March for 2023 stands at 410 as of Tuesday. This puts it ahead of the previous record-holding year for the same period of 2017 by 12.

The bulk of the twisters this year have happened during March, with the SPC’s preliminary count standing at 243 for the month.

That was also the month that saw the most tornado-related deaths, with a total of 47 people killed. Among them were the more than 20 people killed during a severe weather outbreak at the end of the month which spawned a monstrous tornado that tore through the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi.

ROLLING FORK TORNADO SURVIVOR DESCRIBES 'APOCALYPSE' AFTER SAVAGE STORM DECIMATES MISSISSIPPI TOWN

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Crews work to clear the land under a giant American flag that flies on a crane in the midst of destruction wrought by a massive tornado that laid waste to much of the town of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 28, 2023. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

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A tractor-trailer is seen mangled March 27, 2023, in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after a tornado hit the rural town. (Robert Ray)

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Aerial view of a destroyed neighborhood in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after a tornado touched down in the area March 25, 2023. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP)

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A woman is seen near a truck and what's left of her home after a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A structure is seen completely destroyed after a deadly tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A wall was seen blown away from a building after a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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Trees are stripped of leaves after a violent and deadly tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A pile of bricks is seen after a building was heavily damaged in a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A pile of debris is seen after a deadly tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi. (Robert Ray)

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A bed foundation is seen laying among debris from a destroyed home after a tornado in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A destroyed home is seen in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after a tornado on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A deadly tornado tore through the community of Rolling Fork, Mississippi, on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

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A destroyed home is seen in Rolling Fork, Mississippi, after a deadly tornado on Friday, March 24, 2023. (Robert Ray)

January comes in second for the year with a preliminary count of 168 tornadoes, and February comes in third with a preliminary count of 55.

April’s preliminary tornado count is at 51 as of Tuesday, which puts the preliminary count for all of 2023 at 517. April is also the month that begins what is typically the most tornadic time of the year for the U.S.

According to the SPC, the U.S. sees an average of about 1,225 tornadoes per year.

Preliminary data from the SPC shows that roughly 1,240 tornadoes were recorded in 2022. More than 1,300 tornadoes were recorded in 2021.

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The most tornadoes recorded in a single year is 1,813 in 2004.

It is important to note that preliminary data is based on storm surveys from the National Weather Service. The count can change as storm data is finalized.