Tornado Risk in Burnett County, WI
How likely is a tornado in Burnett County, WI?
15 tornado tracks have crossed Burnett County since 1953 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 5.1 years - the Moderate band on this site's scale. That is the 40th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Among 72 Wisconsin counties in this dataset, Burnett County ranks 53 for how often a tornado touches down.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Burnett County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 15 recorded tracks, 12 were weak (EF0-1) and 3 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Wisconsin does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Burnett County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
17,187 people live in Burnett County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Wisconsin than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
What Burnett County's figure does not tell you
Burnett County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Burnett County covers about 822 square miles, so a single touch here counts the same as a single touch in a county a fraction of that size. NOAA also documents that older records undercount weaker tornadoes from before Doppler radar became standard. Burnett County has about 17,187 residents.