How Likely Is a Tornado in Marshall County, KS?
Marshall County's tornado history, by the numbers
Marshall County has recorded 39 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 1.9 years - our Elevated band. Put another way: Marshall County sees more tornado activity than 79% of US counties. Kansas has 105 counties in this dataset; Marshall County ranks 69 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
33 weak and 5 significant tornadoes make up Marshall County's 39-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Marshall 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
Tornado outbreaks routinely knock out power across Kansas for days, separately from any single house getting hit. A portable battery bank keeps a fridge, phone chargers and a radio running through that gap - cheaper and faster to set up than a generator.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Marshall County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 900 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. Marshall County has about 9,950 residents.