How Likely Is a Tornado in Cochran County, TX?
Cochran County, TX: what NOAA's tornado record says
Cochran County has recorded 38 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 2 years - our Elevated band. Put another way: Cochran County sees more tornado activity than 78% of US counties. Texas has 254 counties in this dataset; Cochran County ranks 115 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
1 tornado touching Cochran 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 Cochran County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Texas 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 Texas this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
2,583 people live in Cochran County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Texas than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
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 Cochran County policy rather than assuming it is included.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Cochran County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 775 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. Cochran County has about 2,583 residents.