How Likely Is a Tornado in Burnet County, TX?
Burnet County, TX: what NOAA's tornado record says
Burnet County has recorded 35 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 2.2 years - our Elevated band. Put another way: Burnet County sees more tornado activity than 75% of US counties. Texas has 254 counties in this dataset; Burnet County ranks 127 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
28 weak and 5 significant tornadoes make up Burnet County's 35-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Burnet County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Texas 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 Texas this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
55,722 people live in Burnet County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Texas than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
Wind damage may need its own endorsement
Texas is one of a handful of states where insurers can write wind/hail damage out of a standard homeowners policy - tornado damage may not be fully covered without a separate wind endorsement. Worth confirming directly on a Burnet County policy rather than assuming it is included.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Burnet County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 995 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. Burnet County has about 55,722 residents.