Washington County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Washington County is lower than Colorado average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Washington County is higher than Colorado average and is about the same as the national average.
Earthquake Index, #41
| Washington County | 0.09 |
| 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
| Washington 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, #14
| Washington County | 128.42 |
| 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 9,902 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Washington 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: | 41 | Cold: | 7 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 27 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 326 | Hail: | 6,787 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 70 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 109 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,103 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 82 | Winter Weather: | 7 |
| Other: | 341 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Washington County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Washington County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Washington County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 26 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Washington County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.6 | 1996-05-30 | 3 | 39°55'N / 103°11'W | 39°55'N / 103°11'W | 0.50 Mile | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Washington |
| Brief Description: A large tornado estimated to be 1/2 mile wide in diameter caused approximately $300,000 damage to a farmstead near Elba as it destroyed several grain silos, storage sheds and vehicles. Only the home on the farm was spared. | |||||||||||
| 8.8 | 1982-05-29 | 2 | 40°02'N / 103°21'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Washington | |
| 17.6 | 1975-05-10 | 3 | 40°15'N / 103°22'W | 40°10'N / 103°15'W | 8.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
| 18.9 | 1958-07-20 | 2 | 40°13'N / 103°04'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 19.6 | 1990-06-14 | 2 | 40°03'N / 103°37'W | 40°08'N / 103°28'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Morgan |
| 20.8 | 1952-06-26 | 2 | 40°00'N / 103°36'W | 7.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 23.0 | 1960-05-18 | 2 | 39°48'N / 102°50'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 29.3 | 1958-06-15 | 2 | 40°08'N / 102°42'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Yuma | |||
| 32.9 | 1982-05-19 | 2 | 39°45'N / 102°41'W | 39°46'N / 102°37'W | 3.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Yuma |
| 34.6 | 1955-07-08 | 2 | 40°15'N / 103°45'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 35.4 | 1977-03-18 | 2 | 39°31'N / 103°32'W | 1.50 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lincoln | |
| 37.8 | 1977-03-18 | 2 | 39°31'N / 103°37'W | 1.50 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lincoln | |
| 38.3 | 1996-05-30 | 2 | 40°12'N / 103°52'W | 40°12'N / 103°52'W | 1.00 Mile | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Morgan |
| Brief Description: Twin tornadoes developed 5 miles southwest of Fort Morgan. Although one of the twisters dissipated quickly; the other caused substantial damage to a farmstead. A teenager trapped in the home was uninjured when he took shelter in the basement. The tornado lifted the roof off the house temporarily and broke several windows. Also, the roof of a vacant dairy barn nearby was completely torn off. A car, 2 dump trucks and 2 pickups used in the families' tree service business were completely destroyed. One dog and several of the family cats were killed. Debris was spread approximately 300 yards across the area. Not too far away, the tornado also tossed an empty 5,000 gallon propane storage tank 500 yards and a nearly full 250 gallon storage tank 600 yards. Estimated damage to property in Morgan County was around $150,000. | |||||||||||
| 38.3 | 1956-06-01 | 2 | 40°25'N / 103°38'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 39.0 | 1956-06-19 | 2 | 40°16'N / 103°50'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 39.4 | 1985-07-31 | 2 | 40°14'N / 102°33'W | 0.50 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Yuma | |
| 43.7 | 1982-05-29 | 2 | 39°28'N / 103°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lincoln | |
| 43.7 | 1988-05-19 | 2 | 39°58'N / 102°23'W | 1.50 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Yuma | |
| 44.5 | 1999-05-31 | 3 | 39°21'N / 103°35'W | 39°22'N / 103°24'W | 7.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 4.0M | 0 | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: Two tornadoes touched down causing extensive damage north of Genoa. The first tornado, an F2, caused minor damage to a home, but substantial damage to trees in the area. The second tornado, an F3, destroyed 2 mobile homes and several grain bins. It also caused moderate damage to 2 framed houses. At one farm, several dogs that were boarded in kennels were killed. Several trees and dozens of power poles were also snapped, and a pickup truck was tossed over a quonset hut. Damage was estimated to be $3-4 million. | |||||||||||
| 45.1 | 1972-06-21 | 2 | 39°55'N / 102°30'W | 39°42'N / 102°16'W | 19.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Yuma |
| 46.4 | 1952-05-08 | 2 | 39°29'N / 102°36'W | 2.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Kit Carson | |
| 46.8 | 1984-05-24 | 2 | 40°21'N / 103°58'W | 40°23'N / 103°53'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Morgan |
| 47.2 | 1999-05-31 | 2 | 39°19'N / 103°32'W | 39°19'N / 103°27'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Lincoln |
| Brief Description: Two tornadoes touched down causing extensive damage north of Genoa. The first tornado, an F2, caused minor damage to a home, but substantial damage to trees in the area. The second tornado, an F3, destroyed 2 mobile homes and several grain bins. It also caused moderate damage to 2 framed houses. At one farm, several dogs that were boarded in kennels were killed. Several trees and dozens of power poles were also snapped, and a pickup truck was tossed over a quonset hut. Damage was estimated to be $3-4 million. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 1996-07-30 | 2 | 40°21'N / 103°58'W | 40°21'N / 103°58'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Morgan |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down briefly near Weldona. The twister caused substantial damage to a fertilizer truck when it was smashed into a utility pole. The time of the event was approximated. | |||||||||||
| 49.3 | 1975-05-27 | 2 | 39°37'N / 102°25'W | 39°46'N / 102°17'W | 12.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Yuma |
| 49.6 | 1974-08-15 | 3 | 40°41'N / 103°10'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
* 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.