How Likely Is a Tornado in Hutchinson County, SD?
Hutchinson County's tornado history, by the numbers
Hutchinson County has recorded 48 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.6 years - our High band. Put another way: Hutchinson County sees more tornado activity than 86% of US counties. Within South Dakota alone, Hutchinson County ranks 7 of 66 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
42 weak and 5 significant tornadoes make up Hutchinson County's 48-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Hutchinson County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. South Dakota 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 South Dakota this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
7,416 people live in Hutchinson County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of South Dakota 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 Hutchinson County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 813 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. Hutchinson County has about 7,416 residents.