How Likely Is a Tornado in Buchanan County, IA?
How likely is a tornado in Buchanan County, IA?
Buchanan County has recorded 49 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.6 years - our High band. Put another way: Buchanan County sees more tornado activity than 87% of US counties. Within Iowa alone, Buchanan County ranks 15 of 99 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
33 weak and 11 significant tornadoes make up Buchanan County's 49-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Buchanan County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Iowa has no state rebate program confirmed here; FEMA's underlying 75% cost-share exists nationwide, but applying through a state program is what usually makes it real, and none was found for Iowa this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
20,733 people live in Buchanan County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Iowa than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Buchanan County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 571 square miles, so a single touch counts the same as one in a county a fraction of that size. Weaker pre-1990s tornadoes are also documented as undercounted in NOAA's own record. Buchanan County has about 20,733 residents.