Tornado Risk in Yuma County, CO
Yuma County's tornado history, by the numbers
112 tornado tracks have crossed Yuma County since 1954 by NOAA's count, roughly one every 0.7 years - the High band on this site's scale. That is the 99th percentile nationally for tornado frequency. Within Colorado alone, Yuma County ranks 7 of 64 counties for tornado frequency.
The number that matters more than frequency
No violent (EF4-5) tornado has been recorded in Yuma County in NOAA's 76-year database. Of its 112 recorded tracks, 84 were weak (EF0-1) and 11 significant (EF2-3).
Shelter and safe-room economics
Colorado does not currently have a confirmed state rebate layered on top of FEMA's 75% Hazard Mitigation cost-share, so a Yuma 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 Colorado often reaches homes the storm itself never touched. A battery-backup unit covers the outage without the fuel and venting a generator needs.
What Yuma County's figure does not tell you
Yuma County's figure is county-wide, not address-specific. Yuma County covers about 2,364 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. Yuma County has about 10,048 residents.