Union County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Union County is lower than New Mexico average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Union County is higher than New Mexico average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #20
| Union County | 0.08 |
| 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, #24
| Union County | 0.0000 |
| 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, #7
| Union County | 26.00 |
| 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 3,150 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Union 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: | 3 | Cold: | 1 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 10 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 93 | Hail: | 2,335 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 30 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 4 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 45 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 533 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 16 | Winter Storm: | 4 | Winter Weather: | 1 |
| Other: | 75 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Union 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 Union County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 30.9 | 1970-01-12 | 3.5 | 33 | 36.1 | -103.2 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 5 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Union County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 22.8 | 1965-09-18 | 2 | 36°24'N / 103°02'W | 36°26'N / 103°07'W | 5.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Union |
| 22.9 | 2010-05-23 | 2 | 36°21'N / 103°08'W | 36°33'N / 103°00'W | 16.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0K | Union |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Debris on Highway 56 was seen at mile post 93. Power lines were down, barbed wire fences and hay bales were all over. In addition, a steel building from a feed lot was destroyed, a cow with a broken leg was observed on the road, and a semi truck was turned over on private property. The tornado crossed the New Mexico-Oklahoma state line approximately 8.7 miles southeast of Seneca and continued into neighboring Cimarron County, Oklahoma. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A sharp dry line moved west out of west Texas and became stationary over the far eastern plains on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Meanwhile, an unseasonably deep upper level low pressure system over the Great Basin was moving slowly east toward New Mexico. The combination of the upper level disturbance approaching New Mexico and extreme instability along the dry line set the stage for widespread severe weather from Quay County northeast into Union County. | |||||||||||
| 29.4 | 2010-05-23 | 2 | 36°06'N / 103°10'W | 36°13'N / 103°07'W | 9.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 325K | 0K | Union |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: There was damage to agricultural equipment. A single wide mobile home that had tie down straps was completely destroyed and the undercarriage was carried approximately 40 yards. No injuries reported. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A sharp dry line moved west out of west Texas and became stationary over the far eastern plains on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Meanwhile, an unseasonably deep upper level low pressure system over the Great Basin was moving slowly east toward New Mexico. The combination of the upper level disturbance approaching New Mexico and extreme instability along the dry line set the stage for widespread severe weather from Quay County northeast into Union County. | |||||||||||
| 39.6 | 1961-06-05 | 2 | 36°42'N / 103°00'W | 36°30'N / 102°33'W | 28.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Cimarron |
| 44.9 | 1971-04-19 | 2 | 36°16'N / 102°43'W | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Dallam | |||
* 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.