This is a list of all tornadoes that were confirmed by local offices of the National Weather Service in the United States from January to March 2016. Based on the 1991–2010 average, 35 tornadoes touch down in January, 29 touch down in February and 80 touch down in March.^[1] These tornadoes are commonly focused across the Southern United States due to their proximity to the unstable airmass and warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as well as California in association with winter storms.^[2]

January saw generally scattered activity and was below average with 17 tornadoes. Three sizeable two-day outbreaks occurred in February, the last of which was one of the largest winter tornado outbreaks ever recorded. The month finished significantly above average with 99 tornadoes. March remained devoid of any large outbreaks, but steady activity throughout the month produced a near-average amount of 83 tornadoes.