EF5 drought
Updated: Wikipedia source
From 2013 to 2025, the United States experienced a record lack of tornadoes rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale by the National Weather Service. This period, which has been dubbed the EF5 drought or EF5 gap by some media outlets, was the longest drought of tornadoes rated F5 or EF5 in recorded history. The drought began following the 2013 Moore tornado, occurring on May 20, 2013. Several tornadoes since then had subsequently been rated as high-end EF4 tornadoes, with many of these ratings attracting significant controversy, with notable examples being the 2014 Mayflower–Vilonia tornado, the 2015 Rochelle–Fairdale tornado, the 2021 Western Kentucky tornado, the 2023 Rolling Fork–Silver City tornado, and the 2024 Greenfield tornado. According to a study in January 2025, the drought had a 0.3% chance of running for as long as it did. The drought ended on June 20, 2025, with the 2025 Enderlin tornado; it had spanned 4,414 days.