Ward County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Texas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Ward County is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Ward County is much lower than Texas average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #25
| Ward County | 0.07 |
| Texas | 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
| Ward County | 0.0000 |
| Texas | 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, #190
| Ward County | 69.53 |
| Texas | 208.58 |
| 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 4,658 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Ward 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: | 1 | Drought: | 24 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 719 | Hail: | 2,706 | Heat: | 1 | Heavy Snow: | 8 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 2 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 31 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,093 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 3 | Winter Weather: | 8 |
| Other: | 60 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Ward County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 3 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Ward County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 26.8 | 1976-01-25 | 4.1 | 2 | 31.9 | -103.08 |
| 42.9 | 1982-01-04 | 3.9 | 5 | 31.18 | -102.49 |
| 35.2 | 1978-03-02 | 3.5 | 11 | 31.56 | -102.51 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 22 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Ward County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.7 | 1987-05-25 | 2 | 31°27'N / 103°04'W | 31°34'N / 102°55'W | 11.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ward |
| 13.5 | 1977-04-19 | 3 | 31°25'N / 102°56'W | 31°26'N / 102°52'W | 4.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 18 | 2.5M | 0 | Ward |
| 17.0 | 1961-09-19 | 2 | 31°27'N / 103°23'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ward | |||
| 22.1 | 1955-05-30 | 2 | 31°50'N / 103°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Winkler | |
| 22.9 | 1962-05-17 | 2 | 31°26'N / 103°29'W | 2.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Reeves | |
| 23.2 | 1974-04-26 | 2 | 31°25'N / 103°29'W | 0.50 Mile | 110 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Reeves | |
| 23.3 | 1954-06-13 | 2 | 31°30'N / 103°30'W | 25.00 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Reeves | |
| 24.7 | 1977-06-30 | 2 | 31°10'N / 103°00'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pecos | |
| 26.1 | 1955-05-05 | 2 | 31°25'N / 103°32'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Reeves | |||
| 30.8 | 1954-05-29 | 2 | 31°24'N / 102°36'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Crane | |||
| 33.0 | 2010-05-14 | 3 | 31°49'N / 102°43'W | 31°54'N / 102°43'W | 4.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0K | Ector |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: At 12:15 pm CST, members of the TWISTEX research group confirmed the formation of a tornado approximately 6.5 miles south of Notrees. This tornado progressed northeastward around 20 mph, first causing damage to power poles around from 12:16 to 12:17 pm CST. As it continued to track to the northeast, the tornado caused significant damage to oil equipment from 12:19 to 12:22 pm CST. Two type 320 pump jacks, each weighing 71,000 pounds including the concrete base, were blown over. The tornado then began to weaken at 12:27 pm CST, and dissipated at 12:28 pm CST approximately 2 miles southeast of Notrees, TX. EPISODE NARRATIVE: During the late morning hours, an upper level disturbance slowly progressed over the area. At the surface, abundant low level moisture was available due to southeasterly to easterly winds. A nearly stationary frontal boundary across the Permian basin provided a focus for rapid thunderstorm development. Several supercell thunderstorms resulted in widespread severe weather in the form of tornadoes, flash flooding and large hail across the Texas Permian Basin. The supercell thunderstorms eventually diminished during the late evening hours across the southern Permian Basin. | |||||||||||
| 35.6 | 1954-04-21 | 2 | 31°02'N / 102°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Pecos | |
| 40.1 | 1999-04-30 | 2 | 31°42'N / 103°45'W | 31°42'N / 103°45'W | 1.00 Mile | 170 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Reeves |
| Brief Description: This tornado formed from a very young cell that became a small classic supercell very quickly. The cell was on the southern end of a small cluster of cells. The tornado formed near the Pecos River in extreme eastern Reeves County and crossed into western Loving County. As the tornado crossed the river the largest vegetation in the area, lines of Salt Cedar trees were snapped or uprooted. Many of these trees were well established and approximately 25-30 feet tall. The funnel exhibited a condensation funnel to the ground for much of its life. A classic severe weather setup was taking place on this day and would continue into the next day. A strong upper level low pressure system was centered near Las Vegas, NV and was moving slowly eastward toward the area. Surface winds were backed to the southeast with rich moisture. One item of interest was the early start time of the storms with the first tornado by 1130 am CDT...only about 10 am local sun time. With the mid-level flow blowing parallel to the orientation of multicell complexes were oriented, training of storms was common over several parts of the region. In the evening tornadoes and hail events subsided and flash flooding began to take control. | |||||||||||
| 40.5 | 2010-05-23 | 2 | 31°00'N / 103°25'W | 30°58'N / 103°23'W | 4.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 24K | 0K | Reeves |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A spotter report from a NWS employee and a damage survey both determined that at approximately 1756 CST, a tornado developed about 11 miles southeast of Verhalen, TX. It then moved southeastward damaging a total of 12 powers poles. All but two of these poles were broken into 3 or 4 pieces each. The broken poles were indicative of EF-2 type damage. At 1802 CST, a Pecos County Sherriff???s Deputy took a photo of the tornado near the Pecos and Reeves County line. Finally, at 1806 CST the NWS employee captured the tornado in its dissipating stage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: With persistent low level southeast flow in place across the area and a surface dryline in place from southeast New Mexico across portions of southwest Texas, isolated supercell thunderstorms developed across southern Reeves County and northwest Pecos County. For the second straight evening, these thunderstorms produced tornadoes across the area. | |||||||||||
| 41.0 | 1999-04-30 | 2 | 31°46'N / 103°41'W | 31°50'N / 103°45'W | 6.00 Miles | 170 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0 | Loving |
| Brief Description: The Reeves County tornado crossed the Pecos River and headed north across open country. Soon after it crossed the river, the tornado hit some oil field supplies and caused some damage. The only oil pumpjack in the path was overturned. Engineers at a pumpjack manufacturer estimated winds in the range of 110-130 mph to knock over this large piece of equipment. Vegetation mainly consisted of brush less than 4 feet tall with disturbances ranging from snapped or flattened to bent more than 45 degrees. The small foliage on these plants was generally still present, but wind-torn. A classic severe weather setup was taking place on this day and would continue into the next day. A strong upper level low pressure system was centered near Las Vegas, NV and was moving slowly eastward toward the area. Surface winds were backed to the southeast with rich moisture. One item of interest was the early start time of the storms with the first tornado by 1130 am CDT...only about 10 am local sun time. With the mid-level flow blowing parallel to the orientation of multicell complexes were oriented, training of storms was common over several parts of the region. In the evening tornadoes and hail events subsided and flash flooding began to take control. | |||||||||||
| 42.6 | 1992-05-22 | 2 | 31°44'N / 103°48'W | 31°46'N / 103°45'W | 5.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reeves |
| 44.0 | 1990-04-15 | 2 | 30°54'N / 102°50'W | 30°57'N / 102°48'W | 3.50 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Pecos |
| 44.3 | 1961-05-16 | 2 | 30°54'N / 102°53'W | 0.10 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pecos | |
| 44.5 | 1981-10-15 | 2 | 31°39'N / 102°22'W | 1.50 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Ector | |
| 45.2 | 1962-07-10 | 2 | 31°24'N / 102°21'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Crane | |||
| 47.3 | 1987-05-22 | 4 | 31°00'N / 103°41'W | 31°02'N / 103°38'W | 3.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 30 | 121 | 2.5M | 0 | Reeves |
| 49.1 | 1960-04-21 | 2 | 30°49'N / 102°56'W | 0.30 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pecos | |
* 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.