Tornado Risk in Sheridan County, WY
Sheridan County's tornado history, by the numbers
11 tornado tracks have crossed Sheridan County since 1953 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 6.9 years - the Low band on this site's scale. That is the 32nd percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Wyoming alone, Sheridan County ranks 16 of 23 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Sheridan County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 11 recorded tracks, 11 were weak (EF0-1) and 0 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Wyoming does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Sheridan County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
The storm that misses Sheridan County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Wyoming are common well beyond the tracked path. A battery-backup unit handles that without a generator's setup or fuel.
What Sheridan County's figure does not tell you
Sheridan County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Sheridan County covers about 2,523 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. Sheridan County has about 32,978 residents.