How Likely Is a Tornado in Cass County, IA?
How likely is a tornado in Cass County, IA?
Cass County has recorded 43 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.8 years - our High band. Put another way: Cass County sees more tornado activity than 83% of US counties. Iowa has 99 counties in this dataset; Cass County ranks 27 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
1 tornado touching Cass County reached violent (EF4-5) strength since 1950. That single fact carries more weight for the shelter decision than the county's overall frequency band.
The dollar figure Cass 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
13,024 people live in Cass 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 Cass County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 564 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. Cass County has about 13,024 residents.