Tornado Risk in Decatur County, KS
How likely is a tornado in Decatur County, KS?
50 tornado tracks have crossed Decatur County since 1952 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 1.5 years - the High band on this site's scale. That is the 87th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Kansas alone, Decatur County ranks 42 of 105 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Decatur County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 50 recorded tracks, 43 were weak (EF0-1) and 4 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Kansas does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Decatur County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
The storm that misses Decatur County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Kansas are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What Decatur County's figure does not tell you
Decatur County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Decatur County covers about 894 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. Decatur County has about 2,716 residents.