The blare of wireless emergency alerts was an unusually familiar sound throughout October, as round after round of damaging tornadic storms tore through towns from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania and North Dakota to Florida. October produced record-challenging tornado activity, impressive not only in number but also in distribution and consistency. Five separate outbreaks were responsible for the near-record 119 twisters confirmed so far, and tornadoes were observed on 14 days of the month. The burst of activity occurred at a time often resistant to vigorous thunderstorm development and is a conspicuous statistic in a year generally below average in tornadic activity. 'Prodigious' Alaskan storm dumps record rain, 10-plus feet of snow A preliminary count pegs the October tornado count at 119, according to the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center. This is about double the long-term average for the month. If the number stands, this October will rank second-highest for tornado touchdowns during the month, behind the 123 in October 2018. It is certainly possible that the October 2021 number will rise after all of the month's reports have been evaluated. Oklahoma, often a tornado magnet, more than doubled its October tornado count in 2021. Before the October onslaught, the year was atypically quiet across the Sooner State. Just 25 tornadoes had occurred. But 31 tornadoes occurred in four days during the month, more than doubling the yearly count and bringing the state close to its annual average. In addition to the Southern Plains hot spot, tornadoes scoured the landscape across the northern Gulf Coast and Missouri, and as far north as North Dakota and Pennsylvania. Several tornadoes were strong or intense, rating 2 or 3 on the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale for damage. In an outbreak that would be unusual any time of year, a remarkable 19 tornadoes touched down near the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania on Oct. 22. The Weather Service office in Cleveland issued the most tornado warnings it had put out in one day since 2005. An outbreak that struck Missouri on Oct. 24 was of considerable intensity, with two tornadoes rated EF3. A twister that hit Mississippi on Oct. 27 killed one person, the state's first October tornado fatality in seven years. But that was the lone tornado death nationally for the month, a remarkable outcome given the number of powerful twisters, some of which struck populated areas at night.