Tornado Risk in Washburn County, WI
Washburn County's tornado history, by the numbers
7 tornado tracks have crossed Washburn County since 1965 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 10.9 years - the Low band on this site's scale. That is the 21st percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Among 72 Wisconsin counties in this dataset, Washburn County ranks 65 for how often a tornado touches down.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Washburn County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 7 recorded tracks, 5 were weak (EF0-1) and 2 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Wisconsin does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Washburn 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 Wisconsin often reaches homes the storm itself never touched. A battery-backup unit covers the outage without the fuel and venting a generator needs.
What Washburn County's figure does not tell you
Washburn County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Washburn County covers about 797 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. Washburn County has about 16,982 residents.