Bent County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Bent County is lower than Colorado average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Bent County is lower than Colorado average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #59
| Bent County | 0.01 |
| Colorado | 1.32 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #26
| Bent County | 0.0000 |
| Colorado | 0.0009 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #23
| Bent County | 89.00 |
| Colorado | 117.98 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 6,128 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Bent County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 2 | Cold: | 4 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 9 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 185 | Hail: | 4,489 | Heat: | 14 | Heavy Snow: | 11 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 7 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 9 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,210 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 16 | Winter Weather: | 2 |
| Other: | 165 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Bent County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Bent County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Bent County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 13 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Bent County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 11.6 | 1962-06-29 | 2 | 37°49'N / 103°14'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Bent | |||
| 11.8 | 1956-07-12 | 2 | 38°03'N / 103°14'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Las Animas | |
| 13.9 | 1975-05-22 | 2 | 38°03'N / 103°17'W | 2.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Bent | |
| 15.7 | 2004-06-16 | 2 | 37°43'N / 103°02'W | 37°42'N / 103°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 100K | 0 | Bent |
| Brief Description: A tornado struck a ranch destroying the house, and damaging other buildings and two mobile homes. The family of five sought shelter in an interior closet, and the lone injury was the mother, who suffered a minor gash on her forehead. | |||||||||||
| 25.5 | 2001-05-29 | 3 | 38°04'N / 102°39'W | 38°06'N / 102°39'W | 3.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Prowers |
| Brief Description: Thunderstorms spawned six brief tornadoes and an F3 tornado within a three mile radius of the Lamar Municipal Airport between 1049 MST and 1231 MST just west of Lamar. The F3 tornado, which showed supercellular characteristics, completely destroyed a modular home and five vehicles in its vicinity, and damaged two other homes nearby. Eleven power poles were destroyed as well. | |||||||||||
| 27.6 | 1975-06-08 | 2 | 38°06'N / 102°37'W | 1.00 Mile | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Prowers | |
| 31.3 | 1971-10-17 | 3 | 38°21'N / 103°00'W | 38°24'N / 102°55'W | 5.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kiowa |
| 31.8 | 1982-05-18 | 2 | 38°22'N / 102°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kiowa | |
| 37.7 | 1977-04-13 | 2 | 38°14'N / 103°40'W | 38°17'N / 103°36'W | 5.10 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Crowley |
| 39.8 | 1975-05-12 | 2 | 38°30'N / 102°58'W | 38°28'N / 102°46'W | 11.10 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kiowa |
| 41.6 | 2003-05-15 | 2 | 37°21'N / 102°46'W | 37°26'N / 102°43'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 0 | Baca |
| Brief Description: A tornado moved northeast across a rural area, but did strike the county gravel pit and a few ranches. Approximately 1 1/2 miles of utility poles were brought down by the tornado and rear flank downdraft along U.S. Highway 160. At the gravel pit north of the highway, gravel screening machinery sustained heavy damage. Farther to the northeast a sheet metal building with a steel girder frame was a total loss. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1965-05-23 | 2 | 38°21'N / 103°41'W | 38°23'N / 103°35'W | 5.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Crowley |
| 46.1 | 2010-05-31 | 2 | 37°18'N / 102°56'W | 37°15'N / 102°55'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0K | Baca |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large, slowing moving tornado moved south across open fields and US Highway 160, snapping off 14 power poles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very long-lasting, slow moving supercell storm produced large hail and three tornadoes from west central to southeast Baca County. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.