Benson County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Benson County is about the same as North Dakota average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Benson County is about the same as North Dakota average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #23
| Benson County | 0.00 |
| North Dakota | 0.00 |
| 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
| Benson County | 0.0000 |
| North Dakota | 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, #16
| Benson County | 78.52 |
| North Dakota | 81.79 |
| 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 4,219 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Benson 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: | 68 | Cold: | 61 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 4 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 289 | Hail: | 2,358 | Heat: | 1 | Heavy Snow: | 57 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 9 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 72 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,097 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 3 | Winter Storm: | 86 | Winter Weather: | 8 |
| Other: | 106 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Benson County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Benson County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Benson County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 14 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Benson County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.9 | 1974-05-20 | 2 | 47°56'N / 99°25'W | 47°59'N / 99°21'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benson |
| 7.9 | 2001-08-08 | 2 | 48°00'N / 99°35'W | 47°55'N / 99°12'W | 7.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Benson |
| Brief Description: The tornado began northwest of Maddock and travelled along a path intermittently to near Flora and near Oberon. A 40x60 foot metal shed was demolished. About 2 miles northeast of Maddock, a grain bin was pulled from its foundation and thrown about 500 yards. A hopper bin and concrete pad were also turned on end at this location. Many large trees were flattened all along the path until the tornado weakened from Flora to near Oberon. | |||||||||||
| 10.7 | 2001-08-08 | 2 | 47°59'N / 99°33'W | 47°58'N / 99°32'W | 2.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Benson |
| Brief Description: A grain elevator was heavily damaged and will likely be shut down for the rest of the year. Many trees were uprooted and a camper was overturned. 1.5 miles of powerline was blown down with 24 poles snapped. | |||||||||||
| 17.3 | 1958-05-30 | 3 | 47°56'N / 99°48'W | 48°03'N / 99°38'W | 10.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Benson |
| 21.4 | 1966-08-05 | 2 | 48°06'N / 98°54'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Ramsey | |||
| 24.4 | 1976-06-12 | 2 | 48°05'N / 98°50'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ramsey | |||
| 27.8 | 1974-07-11 | 2 | 47°41'N / 99°12'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Eddy | |||
| 34.7 | 1954-07-06 | 2 | 47°42'N / 99°52'W | 2.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wells | |
| 35.1 | 1973-08-21 | 2 | 48°22'N / 99°59'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pierce | |||
| 41.2 | 1971-06-21 | 2 | 48°16'N / 98°31'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Ramsey | |
| 43.4 | 1971-06-21 | 2 | 48°40'N / 98°52'W | 48°32'N / 98°50'W | 8.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cavalier |
| 43.8 | 1972-07-29 | 2 | 47°34'N / 98°47'W | 47°36'N / 98°44'W | 2.30 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Foster |
| 45.7 | 1965-05-20 | 2 | 47°38'N / 100°06'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wells | |||
| 47.2 | 1952-06-15 | 3 | 47°24'N / 99°33'W | 1.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Wells | |
* 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.