How Likely Is a Tornado in Kearny County, KS?
How likely is a tornado in Kearny County, KS?
Kearny County has recorded 46 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.7 years - our High band. Put another way: Kearny County sees more tornado activity than 85% of US counties. Among 105 Kansas counties in this dataset, Kearny County ranks 52 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
41 weak and 4 significant tornadoes make up Kearny County's 46-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Kearny County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Kansas 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 Kansas this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
3,808 people live in Kearny County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Kansas 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 Kearny County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 871 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. Kearny County has about 3,808 residents.