How Likely Is a Tornado in La Plata County, CO?
How likely is a tornado in La Plata County, CO?
La Plata County has recorded 5 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 15.2 years - our Minimal band. Put another way: La Plata County sees more tornado activity than 17% of US counties. Within Colorado alone, La Plata County ranks 38 of 64 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
5 weak and 0 significant tornadoes make up La Plata County's 5-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure La Plata County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Colorado 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 Colorado this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses La Plata County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Colorado are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on La Plata County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 1,690 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. La Plata County has about 56,823 residents.