Tornado Risk in Carlton County, MN
Carlton County, MN: what NOAA's tornado record says
9 tornado tracks have crossed Carlton County since 1967 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 8.5 years - the Low band on this site's scale. That is the 26th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Minnesota alone, Carlton County ranks 83 of 87 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Carlton County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 9 recorded tracks, 8 were weak (EF0-1) and 1 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Minnesota does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Carlton County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
The storm that misses Carlton County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Minnesota are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What Carlton County's figure does not tell you
Carlton County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Carlton County covers about 861 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. Carlton County has about 36,745 residents.