The last confirmed EF5 tornado occurred on June 20, 2025, near Enderlin, North Dakota, ending a years‑long “EF5 drought.”

Quick Scoop

  • The most recent EF5 tornado on record is the Enderlin, North Dakota tornado of June 20, 2025.
  • It carved about a 12‑mile (19 km) path and was ultimately rated EF5 after a post‑event reanalysis upgraded it from EF3.
  • Winds were estimated to exceed 210 mph, with some methodological estimates suggesting a lower‑bound wind speed potentially as high as around 266 mph.

Why this matters

  • This tornado officially ended an EF5 tornado drought that had lasted roughly 12 years since the infamous Moore, Oklahoma EF5 of May 20, 2013.
  • EF5 events are extremely rare; only a small number have been recorded since the Enhanced Fujita Scale was introduced in 2007, which is why each new EF5 is closely studied by researchers and storm‑safety planners.

Even in active tornado years, EF5s are outliers: most storms are much weaker, but planning is often shaped by the worst‑case scenarios these violent events represent.

TL;DR: When people ask “when was the last EF5 tornado,” the current answer is the Enderlin, North Dakota tornado on June 20, 2025, which broke a historic EF5‑free streak dating back to 2013.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.