TORNADOES of 2025 - Return of the EF5

How will storm chasers remember 2025? This documentary film follows my entire 2025 storm chase season—from early struggles and missed opportunities to violent, deadly tornadoes and unforgettable intercepts across Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Missouri, and beyond.

In recent years, many chasers remember 2018 and 2020 as lackluster seasons—years with fewer photogenic tornadoes. 2016 is still widely regarded as the gold standard, thanks to an abundance of stunning tornadoes and a lower-than-average death toll. And 2011 remains the most devastating tornado year in modern history. But 2025 tells a very different story.

It begins with Middle-of-nowhere Texas tornadoes in April , followed by early-season frustration in roadless parts of New Mexico—where distance, terrain, and punishing hail kept tornadoes just out of reach.

On May 16, 2025, everything changed. That day produced the deadliest tornado outbreak of the year, including: A mile-wide EF3 tornado in St. Louis, Missouri An EF3 I intercepted racing across southern Missouri
A violent, long-tracking EF4 tornado in Kentucky, the deadliest tornado of 2025. That single supercell thunderstorm lasted an astonishing 12 hours, traveled roughly 580 miles, and produced multiple deadly tornadoes, killing 26 people across several states.

From anticyclonic rope tornadoes near Arnett, Oklahoma, to chaotic chaser crowds and the surreal beauty of a mothership supercell at sunset, this season delivered extremes at every turn.

You’ll also see:
Monster red tornadoes near Morton and Lubbock, Texas
A dramatic return of the EF5 tornado in North Dakota.
And jaw-dropping lightning storms across the Plains

By the end of the season, over 1,500 tornadoes were reported in the United States. I managed to intercept 20 of them.

STORM CHASERS:
A super-duper special thanks to all the chasers that picked up my slack by licensing me their footage. Brandon Clement at WXChasing, Dr. Tracie and Dr Anton Seimon, Daniel Shaw, Shaun Piegdon, Brett Wright and Max Mueller.

MUSIC:
Angle's Serenade by Southern Backtones
Glamorous Adagio by Southern Backtones
All other music scored by Pecos Hank Schyma

More info soon / after a good nap.

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