Tornado Risk in Grand County, CO
Grand County's tornado history, by the numbers
1 tornado track have crossed Grand County since 1984 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 76.9 years - the Minimal band on this site's scale. That is the 5th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Colorado alone, Grand County ranks 52 of 64 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Grand County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 1 recorded tracks, 1 were weak (EF0-1) and 0 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Colorado does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Grand County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
16,154 people live in Grand County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Colorado than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
What Grand County's figure does not tell you
Grand County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Grand County covers about 1,847 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. Grand County has about 16,154 residents.