April 2020 was one for the severe weather history books.
The preliminary count of 351 tornadoes last month is the second most for any April on record, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. All but three days in April had official reports of severe weather.
Fourteen separate killer tornadoes touched down -- the fifth most in National Weather Service recorded history -- taking 40 lives, the most people killed in a month since 41 in May 2013.
The highest number of killer tornadoes reported in the US was 43 in April 2011, the worst month of tornadic activity in history. And April is typically not the worst month for tornadoes in the US. That distinction belongs to May.
April typically averages 258 tornadoes, while May sees 287 on average, according to the Storm Prediction Center, based on data compiled from 2010-2019.
