Tornado Risk in Todd County, SD
Todd County, SD: what NOAA's tornado record says
41 tornado tracks have crossed Todd County since 1960 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 1.9 years - the High band on this site's scale. That is the 81st percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Among 66 South Dakota counties in this dataset, Todd County ranks 15 for how often a tornado touches down.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Todd County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 41 recorded tracks, 35 were weak (EF0-1) and 5 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
South Dakota does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Todd County homeowner should expect the full national range: $2,890-$13,280, $7,645 typical.
Power after the storm, not just shelter during it
Power loss after a tornado outbreak in South Dakota often reaches homes the storm itself never touched. A battery-backup unit covers the outage without the fuel and venting a generator needs.
What Todd County's figure does not tell you
Todd County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Todd County covers about 1,389 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. Todd County has about 9,172 residents.