How Likely Is a Tornado in Dorchester County, MD?
How likely is a tornado in Dorchester County, MD?
Dorchester County has recorded 11 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 6.9 years - our Low band. Put another way: Dorchester County sees more tornado activity than 32% of US counties. Within Maryland alone, Dorchester County ranks 17 of 24 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
10 weak and 1 significant tornadoes make up Dorchester County's 11-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Dorchester County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Maryland 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 Maryland this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
33,138 people live in Dorchester County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Maryland than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Dorchester County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 541 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. Dorchester County has about 33,138 residents.