How Likely Is a Tornado in Williams County, ND?
How likely is a tornado in Williams County, ND?
Williams County has recorded 26 tornado touches in NOAA's 76-year database, a rate of roughly one every 2.9 years - our Elevated band. Put another way: Williams County sees more tornado activity than 62% of US counties. North Dakota has 53 counties in this dataset; Williams County ranks 30 of them by frequency.
Beyond the frequency band: violent history
20 weak and 4 significant tornadoes make up Williams County's 26-track record - none violent. NOAA has never logged an EF4 or EF5 crossing this county.
The dollar figure Williams County's rating leads to
Cost nationally: $2,890-$13,280, about $7,645 typical. North Dakota 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 North Dakota this pass.
What a direct hit isn't required for
40,763 people live in Williams County, and a tornado outbreak's power loss usually reaches far more of North Dakota than the tracks themselves touch. A portable battery unit is the faster, no-fuel way to bridge that outage.
What this number is, and is not
One caveat before relying on Williams County's number: it is county-wide, and it covers about 2,078 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. Williams County has about 40,763 residents.