A large, deadly and significant nocturnal tornado outbreak occurred during the overnight hours of May 25 into May 26, 2024. Coming just days after another significant outbreak, this was the final outbreak in what was an extremely busy April and May tornado-wise. Activity began on May 25, with isolated supercell in northern Texas producing multiple tornadoes, including a low-end EF3 tornado that passed near Valley View, Texas, killing seven people. Another longer-lived supercell moved through northeastern Oklahoma and across northern Arkansas, producing several tornadoes along with straight-line winds of . Two fatalities were confirmed from an EF3 tornado that struck Claremore, Oklahoma along with areas near Pryor. Later, it produced a very large EF3 tornado near Decatur, Arkansas, which became the largest tornado ever recorded in Arkansas. Another EF3 tornado killed four people near Olvey and Pyatt while an additional tornadic death occurred with yet another EF3 tornado that passed near Yellville and through Briarcliff. Another supercell in southern Missouri produced a low-end EF3 tornado that passed near Morehouse and through Sikeston, killing two people indirectly.
May 26 would be the most active day of severe weather; several rounds of squall lines and tornadic supercells moved through the Mid-Mississippi and the Ohio Valleys, producing widespread wind damage, large hail, and tornadoes. This included a very destructive, intense high-end EF3 tornado that prompted the issuance of four tornado emergencies across areas that had been previously impacted by the 2021 Western Kentucky tornado. One person was killed by this tornado. Severe weather activity became more isolated and scattered on May 27, marking the end of the outbreak.
A total of 15 people died as a result of the outbreak, with 174 injured. Total damages from the outbreak were estimated to be around $3.5 billion. Meteorological synopsis May 25
On May 25, the SPC warned of an outbreak of severe thunderstorms across a level 4/Moderate risk area that encompassed much of Oklahoma and Kansas, as well as southwestern Missouri. In this region, forecasters expected the development of a few discrete supercells that would be capable of producing giant hail and strong to violent tornadoes. Across the northern portion of the risk, these supercells were forecast to evolve into a mesoscale convective system with swaths of damaging winds into the overnight hours. The potential for a level 5/High risk was discussed by forecasters in the preceding 24 hours given "a rare combination of instability and shear" that was depicted by model guidance. However, multiple uncertainties precluded a categorical upgrade, particularly questions about the influence of storms in Texas on the risk area farther north. A broad upper-level trough existed over the Western United States, with several embedded shortwaves, one of which was expected to translate across the risk area during the afternoon. A stationary boundary lifted northward as a warm front while a dryline sharpened from western Kansas into western Texas. In the warm sector between these boundaries, dewpoints rose into the upper 60s to even mid-70s °F, aiding in the development of extreme mixed-layer instability of 4,000–5,000 J/kg. A particularly dangerous situation tornado watch was subsequently issued for portions of extreme northern Texas, much of Oklahoma, and south-central Kansas.
Shortly thereafter, multiple supercells evolved over time across Texas and Oklahoma, but the convective evolution quickly became messy as splitting storms developed in close proximity. Additional supercells evolved across northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, but those too underwent negative interaction with left-split storms and their accompanying outflow approaching from the south. As a result, central Oklahoma was completely void of storms for the entire day. Just before midnight, however two distinct areas of severe weather became the focus of intense tornadic activity. To the south, a discrete supercell developed within an extremely sheared environment north of the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. This supercell produced five tornadoes over the course of three hours, the first of which was a deadly low-end EF3 tornado near Valley View, Texas, before dissipating. To the north, several supercells formed in northeastern Oklahoma and southern Kansas, while a southeast-propagating mesoscale convective system developed across northern Kansas. A line of discrete storms also formed in eastern Oklahoma, but they all quickly dissipated. Meanwhile, the supercells moved eastward across northeastern Oklahoma, southern Missouri, and northern Arkansas continued into the pre-dawn hours, resulting in multiple large, intense, and fatal tornadoes. A bowing mesoscale convective system evolved across the mid-Mississippi River Valley by sunrise.
May 26–27
As the convective line with a history of damaging wind gusts spread eastward across the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys through the morning hours, it encountered a warming and destabilizing airmass, further increasing the severe threat. This initial line moved toward portions of West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina and was subsequently trailed by a secondary line of convection across western portions Kentucky and Tennessee. Cumulatively, this resulted in hundreds of damaging wind reports. Meanwhile, farther to the south and west, forecasters became increasingly concerned about a corridor from southeastern Missouri eastward into western Kentucky and adjacent areas. Here, the influx of warm and dry air aloft allowed for the rapid destabilization of the atmosphere previously impacted by morning storms. An outflow boundary from that convection was expected to become the focal point for enhanced tornadic activity. As such, the SPC outlined a level 4/Moderate risk across portions of the Tennessee and Ohio river valleys due to increased confidence in an outbreak of damaging winds and strong tornadoes. Supercells began to develop across southwestern Missouri during the early afternoon. As they continued eastward, they encountered an increasingly favorable environment, with MLCAPE over 3,500 J/kg and effective wind shear around . Additional storms began to develop in the open warm sector across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky as well. As these supercells interacted with the remnant outflow boundary, they resulted in the formation of several strong tornadoes. By the evening hours, these storms were quickly trailed by a well-organized and intense line of convection moving toward the southeast. This line remained vigorous for several hours even as it encountered a more stable airmass, but finally began to lose strength as it approached the Appalachian Mountains region, resulting in a gradually diminishing severe threat through the morning of May 27. While severe storms formed across the eastern part of the continent on May 27, only a few weak tornadoes touched down in multiple areas in Georgia and Pennsylvania, as well as an EF1 tornado near the Ontario-Quebec border in Rigaud, Quebec.
Confirmed tornadoes
Forestburg–Rosston–Era–Valley View–Pilot Point, Texas
This very large, deadly, long-tracked tornado initially touched down southeast of Bowie in Montague County at 9:41 pm CDT. It initially caused EF0-EF1 damage to trees and outbuildings as it moved through rural areas. Moving eastward, the tornado intensified to EF2 strength, causing severe damage to two rural residences, with lesser damage being inflicted on other nearby residences. The tornado then weakened slightly as it continued eastward and passed south of Forestburg. Widespread EF0 to high-end EF1 damage to trees and outbuildings, along with minor damage to homes, was observed along this segment of the path. The tornado then turned east-southeastward, crossed into Cooke County, and passed just south of Rosston, causing widespread EF1 tree damage.
After briefly jogging to the east and weakening to EF0 strength as it approached and crossed FM 51 south of Era, the tornado strengthened again, with trees and structures suffering EF1 damage. Further strengthening occurred as the tornado began to move erratically eastward southeast of Era and west of Valley View, inflicting EF2 damage to three residences. After causing some additional EF1 damage, the tornado reached its peak intensity of low-end EF3 along County Road 200 as it turned back to the east-southeast.
Several newly constructed homes were heavily damaged or destroyed, with roofs removed and exterior walls knocked down. To the east, the tornado struck a neighborhood along West Lone Oak Rd at EF2 intensity, heavily damaging manufactured and mobile homes, including some that were demolished. All seven fatalities occurred at this location. The tornado was at its peak width around this time, with a damage path that was over a mile wide. Initially, it was believed that the maximum width of the tornado in this area was (the peak width of was assessed as occurring to the east just before the tornado dissipated) with several smaller circulations rotating around the tornado at this point, making it seem larger than it actually was. However, this was changed after a review in 2025 suggested otherwise. A brief EF1 satellite tornado occurred near Sanger around this time as well.
The tornado maintained high-end EF2 intensity as it crossed I-35 at the Lone Oak Road/FM 3002 interchange south of Valley View, tossing multiple cars and tractor-trailers off the interstate. On the east side of the interstate, a Shell gas station, where dozens of people had taken shelter, a metal building shop, and an RV and boat storage unit were heavily damaged or destroyed. Despite the heavy damage, no one was killed in the gas station. Continuing eastward along FM 3002 towards Ray Roberts Lake, the tornado caused additional roof damage to structures and tree damage. The tornado then weakened to EF1 strength, crossed the lake, and struck a mobile home and RV park at the Ray Roberts Lake State Park Johnson Branch on the Cooke County-Denton County border, tossing and rolling multiple mobile homes and RVs, including some that were thrown in the lake, and causing additional tree damage. The tornado then began to occlude near Pilot Point and crossed back into Cooke County. Some tree damage was observed at the end of Anderson Road before the tornado dissipated over the lake at 11:15 pm CDT.
The tornado was on the ground for over an hour and a half, reaching a peak width of along its journey. It killed seven people, making it the deadliest tornado of both the outbreak sequence and in the United States in 2024, and injured 80-100 others, excluding possible people with minor injuries that didn't require hospitalization. The tornado resulted in $19.1 million in property damage. It was also the deadliest tornado in the United States since a tornado in Tennessee killed nine people in March 2023. It was also noted that this event may have been a tornado family that featured tornadoes dissipating with others forming immediately afterwards based on radar analysis and the damage pattern, but there was not enough conclusive evidence to confirm this, so it is listed as one continuous tornado. Due to a malfunction, tornado sirens in Valley View would not sound. However, the areas affected by the tornado would not have been able to hear it. Recovery efforts were also hampered by an inch of rain that fell across the region.
Keetonville–Claremore–Pryor, Oklahoma