Hitchcock County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Hitchcock County is about the same as Nebraska average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Hitchcock County is much lower than Nebraska average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #40
| Hitchcock County | 0.02 |
| Nebraska | 0.04 |
| 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, #1
| Hitchcock County | 0.0000 |
| Nebraska | 0.0000 |
| 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, #70
| Hitchcock County | 111.40 |
| Nebraska | 205.07 |
| 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 11,714 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Hitchcock 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: | 16 | Cold: | 12 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 7 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 326 | Hail: | 7,783 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 35 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 2 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 69 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 3,171 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 57 | Winter Weather: | 6 |
| Other: | 230 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Hitchcock County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Hitchcock County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Hitchcock County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 23 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Hitchcock County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.2 | 1990-06-15 | 4 | 40°09'N / 101°14'W | 40°15'N / 100°45'W | 20.00 Miles | 2640 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Hitchcock |
| 19.8 | 1971-10-17 | 3 | 39°54'N / 101°14'W | 39°56'N / 101°10'W | 3.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rawlins |
| 22.0 | 1990-06-15 | 4 | 40°15'N / 100°45'W | 40°16'N / 100°32'W | 8.00 Miles | 2640 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Red Willow |
| 22.8 | 1958-04-27 | 2 | 39°51'N / 101°14'W | 39°53'N / 101°09'W | 4.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rawlins |
| 26.6 | 1956-07-05 | 2 | 39°48'N / 101°09'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Rawlins | |||
| 27.6 | 1956-07-05 | 2 | 39°48'N / 101°13'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rawlins | |||
| 27.9 | 1951-08-24 | 2 | 39°47'N / 100°55'W | 39°48'N / 100°51'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rawlins |
| 31.2 | 1951-05-14 | 3 | 39°47'N / 101°20'W | 0 | 4 | 3K | 0 | Rawlins | |||
| 32.5 | 1957-07-07 | 2 | 40°08'N / 101°59'W | 40°08'N / 101°20'W | 34.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Dundy |
| 32.6 | 1951-05-20 | 3 | 39°47'N / 101°23'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Rawlins | |||
| 33.1 | 1957-07-02 | 2 | 40°31'N / 100°36'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Frontier | |||
| 33.3 | 1996-08-10 | 2 | 40°16'N / 100°25'W | 40°11'N / 100°25'W | 6.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 750K | 0 | Red Willow |
| Brief Description: TORNADO MOVED SOUTH SOUTHWEST AT 30 MPH THROUGH THE WEST PORTION OF INDIANOLA. DAMAGE INCLUDED NUMEROUS TREES UPROOTED, A GARAGE DESTROYED, SECTIONS OF ROOFS BLOWN OFF, CAMPERS FLIPPED, AND WINDOWS, TV ANTENNAES, GRAIN BINS, GUTTERS, AND SHINGLES DAMAGED. AT TWO MILES SOUTHWEST OF INDIANOLA, TORNADO CURVED SOUTHEAST BEFORE DISSIPATING. A POWER FAILURE PREVENTED SIRENS FROM BEING ACTIVATED IN INDIANOLA. | |||||||||||
| 33.4 | 1984-06-11 | 2 | 40°23'N / 101°37'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Chase | |
| 40.0 | 1975-06-18 | 3 | 40°22'N / 100°22'W | 40°35'N / 100°25'W | 15.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Frontier |
| 41.0 | 1960-06-20 | 2 | 40°31'N / 101°41'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Chase | |
| 41.2 | 1958-06-30 | 2 | 40°14'N / 100°18'W | 40°14'N / 100°14'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Furnas |
| 41.7 | 2007-03-28 | 2 | 39°33'N / 101°31'W | 39°54'N / 101°37'W | 27.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0K | Cheyenne |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado tracked from Sherman county through most of Cheyenne county with a total path length of 34 miles. The tornado was on the ground for 62 minutes and produced F1-F2 damage along much of its path. In Cheyenne county, four homes were affected, all having lost the entire roof and some with outside wall damage. Tree and power pole damage was extensive as well as significant property damage including garages, outbuildings, grain bins and livestock. The tornado tracked almost straight north along Road 30 for most of its length in Cheyenne county, and then at Road U the tornado veered left and dissipated near Roads AA and 26. The tornado began at the Sherman county line near Road 30. Wildlife officials stated that 22 mule deer, 50 ducks, 4 pheasants, 4 rabbits and 2 song birds were killed. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major Spring storm system affecting the Central High Plains produced 16 tornadoes and flash flooding, in addition to severe hail and wind. This was the most tornadoes reported in a single day in the Goodland County Warning Area. The most significant tornado was an EF2 which began in Sherman county and moved north across most of Cheyenne county in Kansas. Four homesteads suffered significant property damage along the 36 mile path length. In addition to the EF2 tornado, there were three EF1 and twelve EF0 tornadoes stretching from Greeley county Kansas into Dundy county Nebraska. No injuries or fatalities occurred. | |||||||||||
| 42.0 | 1990-06-01 | 2 | 40°38'N / 101°38'W | 40°42'N / 101°24'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Chase |
| 42.4 | 1967-06-14 | 2 | 40°33'N / 101°41'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chase | |||
| 44.0 | 1983-06-12 | 2 | 39°51'N / 100°23'W | 40°01'N / 100°10'W | 15.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Decatur |
| 45.9 | 1962-05-18 | 2 | 40°39'N / 100°39'W | 40°50'N / 100°31'W | 14.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Frontier |
| 49.0 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 39°46'N / 101°48'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cheyenne | |
| 49.6 | 1972-09-05 | 2 | 39°37'N / 100°27'W | 39°39'N / 100°25'W | 2.30 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Decatur |
* 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.