Tornado Risk in Pend Oreille County, WA
Pend Oreille County's tornado history, by the numbers
1 tornado track have crossed Pend Oreille County since 1978 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 76.9 years - the Minimal band on this site's scale. That is the 5th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Washington alone, Pend Oreille County ranks 27 of 39 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Pend Oreille County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 1 recorded tracks, 0 were weak (EF0-1) and 1 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Washington does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Pend Oreille County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
A direct hit is not required for Pend Oreille County to lose power - outbreak-wide outages across Washington regularly reach homes and businesses well outside the actual tracks. A battery bank covers that gap without a generator's fuel and venting needs.
What Pend Oreille County's figure does not tell you
Pend Oreille County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Pend Oreille County covers about 1,400 square miles, so a single touch here counts the same as a single touch in a county a fraction of that size. NOAA also documents that older records undercount weaker tornadoes from before Doppler radar became standard. Pend Oreille County has about 14,332 residents.