How Likely Is a Tornado in Fond du Lac County, WI?
Fond du Lac County's tornado history, by the numbers
Fond du Lac County has recorded 58 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.3 years - our High band. Put another way: Fond du Lac County sees more tornado activity than 92% of US counties. Among 72 Wisconsin counties in this dataset, Fond du Lac County ranks 5 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
2 tornados touching Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac 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
104,269 people live in Fond du Lac County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Wisconsin 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 Fond du Lac County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 720 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. Fond du Lac County has about 104,269 residents.