How Likely Is a Tornado in Cherry County, NE?
How likely is a tornado in Cherry County, NE?
Cherry County has recorded 105 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 0.7 years - our High band. Put another way: Cherry County sees more tornado activity than 99% of US counties. Among 93 Nebraska counties in this dataset, Cherry County ranks 3 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
84 weak and 13 significant tornadoes make up Cherry County's 105-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Cherry County's rating leads to
A storm shelter or in-residence safe room typically runs $2,890-$13,280 nationally (around $7,645 typical). Nebraska's Nebraska Emergency Management Agency's Residential Tornado Safe Room Program covers 75% of an approved project - bringing a typical job down to roughly $722.5-$3,320 out of pocket, when the program is currently funded.
What a direct hit isn't required for
Power loss after a tornado outbreak in Nebraska often reaches homes the storm itself never touched. A battery-backup unit covers the outage without the fuel and venting a generator needs.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Cherry County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 5,960 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. Cherry County has about 5,558 residents.