How Likely Is a Tornado in Stone County, AR?
Stone County, AR: what NOAA's tornado record says
Stone County has recorded 22 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 3.5 years - our Moderate band. Put another way: Stone County sees more tornado activity than 54% of US counties. Within Arkansas alone, Stone County ranks 56 of 75 counties for tornado frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
1 tornado touching Stone County reached violent (EF4-5) strength since 1950. That single fact carries more weight for the shelter decision than the county's overall frequency band.
The dollar figure Stone County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. Arkansas 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 Arkansas this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
The storm that misses Stone County outright can still take its power out - outbreak-scale outages across Arkansas 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 Stone County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 606 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. Stone County has about 12,785 residents.