How Likely Is a Tornado in Meade County, KY?
Meade County, KY: what NOAA's tornado record says
Meade County has recorded 14 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 5.4 years - our Low band. Put another way: Meade County sees more tornado activity than 39% of US counties. Within Kentucky alone, Meade County ranks 33 of 120 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
14 weak and 0 significant tornadoes make up Meade County's 14-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Meade 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
30,442 people live in Meade County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of Kentucky 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 Meade County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 305 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. Meade County has about 30,442 residents.