How Likely Is a Tornado in Marion County, TN?
Marion County, TN: what NOAA's tornado record says
Marion County has recorded 21 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 3.6 years - our Moderate band. Put another way: Marion County sees more tornado activity than 52% of US counties. Among 95 Tennessee counties in this dataset, Marion County ranks 35 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
17 weak and 4 significant tornadoes make up Marion County's 21-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Marion County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Tennessee 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 Tennessee this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Marion County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Tennessee 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 Marion County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 498 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. Marion County has about 29,826 residents.