Otero County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Otero County is lower than Colorado average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Otero County is lower than Colorado average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #56
| Otero 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
| Otero 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, #27
| Otero County | 55.56 |
| 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 4,868 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Otero 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: | 8 | Cold: | 0 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 9 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 205 | Hail: | 3,618 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 42 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 17 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 703 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 13 | Winter Storm: | 36 | Winter Weather: | 7 |
| Other: | 209 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Otero County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Otero County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 39.3 | 1966-10-03 | 4.5 | N/A | 37.4 | -104.1 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 9 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Otero County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 26.3 | 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 |
| 26.4 | 1975-05-22 | 2 | 38°03'N / 103°17'W | 2.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Bent | |
| 27.0 | 1962-06-29 | 2 | 37°49'N / 103°14'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Bent | |||
| 28.9 | 1956-07-12 | 2 | 38°03'N / 103°14'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Las Animas | |
| 33.7 | 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 |
| 34.3 | 1978-07-10 | 2 | 37°37'N / 104°15'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Huerfano | |
| 39.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1953-10-20 | 2 | 38°30'N / 103°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Otero | |
| 49.5 | 1965-05-23 | 2 | 38°34'N / 103°40'W | 38°38'N / 103°40'W | 4.60 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lincoln |
* 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.