Tornado Risk in Cass County, TX
Cass County, TX: what NOAA's tornado record says
67 tornado tracks have crossed Cass County since 1950 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 1.1 years - the High band on this site's scale. That is the 94th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Texas alone, Cass County ranks 36 of 254 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Cass County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 67 recorded tracks, 45 were weak (EF0-1) and 21 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Texas does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Cass County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
Tornado outbreaks routinely knock out power across Texas for days, separately from any single house getting hit. A portable battery bank keeps a fridge, phone chargers and a radio running through that gap - cheaper and faster to set up than a generator.
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 Cass County policy rather than assuming it is included.
What Cass County's figure does not tell you
Cass County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Cass County covers about 937 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. Cass County has about 28,622 residents.