Tornado Risk in Dane County, WI
Dane County's tornado history, by the numbers
78 tornado tracks have crossed Dane County since 1955 by NOAA's count, roughly one every year - the High band on this site's scale. That is the 96th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Among 72 Wisconsin counties in this dataset, Dane County ranks 1 for how often a tornado touches down.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Dane County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 78 recorded tracks, 57 were weak (EF0-1) and 21 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Wisconsin does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Dane County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
Power loss after a tornado outbreak in Wisconsin often reaches homes the storm itself never touched. A battery-backup unit covers the outage without the fuel and venting a generator needs.
What Dane County's figure does not tell you
Dane County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Dane County covers about 1,196 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. Dane County has about 588,347 residents.