EF5 drought

Since 2013, the United States has experienced a record lack of tornadoes that have been 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, is the longest drought of EF5 tornadoes in recorded history. The drought began following the 2013 Moore tornado, the last known EF5 tornado, occurring on May 20, 2013. Several tornadoes since then have subsequently been rated as a high-end EF4, with many of these ratings attracting significant controversy, a notable example being the 2014 Mayflower–Vilonia tornado. The drought has led to questioning whether the Enhanced Fujita scale is an effective way to rate tornadoes, and a 2025 study found that the drought has had a 0.3% chance of running for as long as it has. As of June 2025, the drought of officially-rated EF5 tornadoes is ongoing, currently spanning over 4,000 days.