(Johnston, IA) -- 2024 is topping the list for the year with the most tornadoes in Iowa, currently 122, and the year is far from finished. It beats the previous record of 120, set in 2004. Meteorologist Mike Fowle, from the National Weather Service in Johnston, says better tracking technology is contributing to the increase.
"There's obviously cell phones now, different recording devices, there's social media. We have a very active storm chaser network that we use, there's a lot of storm chasers that are out there," Fowle said, "and then the radar technology has changed since 2004, it's just more detailed. We can see things now that we couldn't see back in 2004. And we just understand a little bit more about how tornadoes form so we can look for them to find them."
Fowle also says his staff is now able to use drones to track and spot storms.
April and May had a combined 98 tornadoes, including the deadly EF-4 that killed five people and devastated the city of Greenfield in Adair County. The Greenfield tornado was also the longest, traveling over 42 miles.
Fowle says it would be unlikely for the state to not see additional tornadoes this year, but that forecasters aren't getting any strong early signals for an active fall. He urges Iowans to stay weather aware.