How Likely Is a Tornado in Pepin County, WI?
How likely is a tornado in Pepin County, WI?
Pepin County has recorded 7 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 10.9 years - our Low band. Put another way: Pepin County sees more tornado activity than 21% of US counties. Among 72 Wisconsin counties in this dataset, Pepin County ranks 66 for how often a tornado touches down.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
5 weak and 2 significant tornadoes make up Pepin County's 7-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Pepin County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Pepin County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Wisconsin 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 Pepin County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 232 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. Pepin County has about 7,555 residents.