How Likely Is a Tornado in Lee County, KY?
Lee County, KY: what NOAA's tornado record says
Lee County has recorded 2 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 38.5 years - our Minimal band. Put another way: Lee County sees more tornado activity than 7% of US counties. Among 120 Kentucky counties in this dataset, Lee County ranks 115 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
1 weak and 1 significant tornadoes make up Lee County's 2-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Lee County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Kentucky 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 Kentucky this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Lee County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Kentucky 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 Lee County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 209 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. Lee County has about 7,313 residents.