How Likely Is a Tornado in Door County, WI?
Door County's tornado history, by the numbers
Door County has recorded 10 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 7.6 years - our Low band. Put another way: Door County sees more tornado activity than 29% of US counties. Wisconsin has 72 counties in this dataset; Door County ranks 61 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
5 weak and 5 significant tornadoes make up Door County's 10-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Door County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
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 this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Door County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 482 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. Door County has about 30,512 residents.