How Likely Is a Tornado in Cass County, MI?
Cass County, MI: what NOAA's tornado record says
Cass County has recorded 18 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 4.2 years - our Moderate band. Put another way: Cass County sees more tornado activity than 47% of US counties. Among 83 Michigan counties in this dataset, Cass County ranks 30 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
15 weak and 3 significant tornadoes make up Cass County's 18-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Cass County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Michigan 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 Michigan this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Cass County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Michigan are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Cass County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 490 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 51,550 residents.