Colfax County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Colfax County is about the same as New Mexico average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Colfax County is about the same as New Mexico average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #8
| Colfax County | 0.27 |
| New Mexico | 0.39 |
| 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, #20
| Colfax County | 0.0006 |
| New Mexico | 0.0071 |
| 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, #12
| Colfax County | 12.01 |
| New Mexico | 15.39 |
| 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 1,522 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Colfax 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: | 0 | Cold: | 0 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 1 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 75 | Hail: | 1,219 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 0 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 1 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 170 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 6 | Winter Storm: | 0 | Winter Weather: | 0 |
| Other: | 50 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
A total of 1 volcano is found in or near Colfax County.
| Distance (miles) | Name | Region | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (foot) | Type | Status | Last Eruption |
| 119.1 | Valles Caldera | US-New Mexico, United States | 35.87 | -106.57 | 3430 | Caldera | Pleistocene-Fumarol | Quaternary eruption(s) with the only known Holocene activity being hydrothermal |
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 4 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Colfax County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 33.7 | 1973-09-23 | 4.2 | 5 | 37.1 | -104.6 |
| 21.4 | 1966-09-24 | 4.1 | N/A | 36.5 | -105 |
| 29.5 | 1966-09-24 | 3.8 | N/A | 36.4 | -105.1 |
| 24.8 | 1966-09-24 | 3.6 | N/A | 36.4 | -105 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 3 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Colfax County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.6 | 1964-05-29 | 3 | 36°32'N / 104°35'W | 36°31'N / 104°32'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Colfax |
| 16.5 | 1996-07-25 | 2 | 36°30'N / 104°55'W | 36°31'N / 104°54'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 5 | 1.7M | 0 | Colfax |
| Brief Description: A tornado destroyed 11 homes and 7 business in Cimarron. Another 43 structures were damaged. Among the building destroyed was the Post Office which was sliced by the air-borne frame of a mobile home. Of the 5 injuries, 2 were serious, requiring hospitalization. All injuries occurred in mobile homes or portable buildings without permanent foundations. A funnel cloud, which went unreported, was observed by deputies for about 20 minutes. The tornado developed as convection moved over a horizontal shear axis created by southeast surface winds and northwest winds aloft above the foothills located just northwest of Cimarron. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 1962-05-17 | 2 | 35°58'N / 104°14'W | 36°06'N / 104°08'W | 10.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Harding |
* 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.