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Why tropical systems brew tornadoes
In 2004, Frances, a tropical storm by the time it reached the Carolinas, spawned 45 tornadoes in South Carolina and 11 in North Carolina.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season has its first named tropical storm named Andrea.
As the East Coast is anticipating an active season, many people may know the typical way to prepare for a hurricane about to hit their area, but they may not anticipate one of the things they should look out for are tornadoes. Here’s why a tropical system can unleash multiple tornadoes in its path.
Picture a hurricane like a giant spinning top: Wide, wobbly and a little wild. Now, imagine that spinning top sending off little whirlwinds as it moves. Those little whirlwinds are outer rain bands that can produce tornadoes.
Why does this happen? A tropical system already rotates, but when it moves inland, it encounters strong wind shear.
That’s when winds at the surface move in a different direction or speed than winds higher up. In this case, thunderstorms in the outer bands can start to spin and tighten up, forming tornadoes.
The right front quadrant of a tropical system can become tornado factories. That’s the area where winds are most aligned for rotation. Most are short-lived, rain-wrapped, and tough to see, but they can still be dangerous.
Let’s take a look at some of the worst tornado-producing tropical systems in the Carolinas:
- Hurricane Ivan in 2004 produced the most tornadoes out of any tropical system on record with at least 117 confirmed, including 11 between both North and South Carolina.
- Also in 2004, Frances, a tropical storm by the time it reached the Carolinas, spawned 45 tornadoes in South Carolina and 11 in North Carolina impacting counties in our area including Union, Chesterfield, Lancaster, and York. The strongest was an EF-3 confirmed in Camden, South Carolina.
- Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 didn’t look like much on satellite, but it was a tornado machine, creating 12 tornadoes in the Carolinas.
So next time there’s a tropical system heading our way, remember: It’s not just the eye you should be watching. Sometimes, the worst weather is far from the center, and it can spin up fast.
Contact Bekah Birdsall at rbirdsall@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.