Morgan County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Morgan County is lower than Colorado average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Morgan County is higher than Colorado average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #29
| Morgan County | 0.16 |
| 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
| Morgan 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, #10
| Morgan County | 158.23 |
| 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 9,461 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Morgan 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: | 33 | Cold: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 38 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 330 | Hail: | 6,704 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 65 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 110 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,616 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 52 | Winter Weather: | 7 |
| Other: | 495 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Morgan County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 4 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Morgan County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 48.8 | 1965-09-14 | 4.7 | N/A | 39.9 | -104.6 |
| 48.8 | 1962-12-05 | 4 | N/A | 39.9 | -104.6 |
| 48.8 | 1967-11-15 | 3.7 | N/A | 39.9 | -104.6 |
| 32.6 | 1969-05-26 | 3.5 | N/A | 40.4 | -104.4 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 25 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Morgan County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.4 | 1956-06-19 | 2 | 40°16'N / 103°50'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 3.1 | 1955-07-08 | 2 | 40°15'N / 103°45'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 5.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 9.5 | 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 |
| 10.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 14.0 | 1956-06-01 | 2 | 40°25'N / 103°38'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Morgan | |||
| 18.3 | 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 |
| 21.2 | 1952-06-26 | 2 | 40°00'N / 103°36'W | 7.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Washington | |
| 25.4 | 1986-09-18 | 2 | 40°30'N / 103°50'W | 40°44'N / 103°31'W | 25.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Morgan |
| 26.6 | 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 |
| 28.8 | 1982-05-29 | 2 | 40°02'N / 103°21'W | 1.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Washington | |
| 34.0 | 1987-07-07 | 2 | 40°24'N / 104°22'W | 40°27'N / 104°28'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Weld |
| 36.9 | 1959-05-29 | 2 | 39°53'N / 104°18'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Adams | |
| 37.4 | 1952-05-15 | 3 | 40°20'N / 104°34'W | 40°15'N / 104°28'W | 7.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Weld |
| 37.6 | 1984-05-18 | 2 | 40°11'N / 104°34'W | 40°14'N / 104°28'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Weld |
| 38.3 | 1996-07-31 | 2 | 40°27'N / 104°32'W | 40°22'N / 104°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Weld |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down near Gill. It damaged a grain bin owned by the Northern Feed and Bean of Gill. Although not confirmed, it is believed the same twister was responsible for destroying a 60-ft by 250-ft storage building south of town. The tornado also uprooted a tree near Kuner, east of Kersey. The time of the tornado was approximated. In addition several twisters, strong thunderstorm winds and large hail the size of baseballs caused several power outages in central Weld County. Power was out from Kersey to Purcell, which covered a distance of 20 miles, for about 12 hours. An estimated 400 to 500 residents were without power throughout the night. Crops in the area also received substantial damage, but no dollar estimates were available. | |||||||||||
| 38.8 | 1984-05-18 | 2 | 40°07'N / 104°35'W | 40°10'N / 104°28'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Weld |
| 39.2 | 1958-07-20 | 2 | 40°13'N / 103°04'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 40.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 43.7 | 1984-05-18 | 2 | 40°07'N / 104°40'W | 40°12'N / 104°35'W | 5.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Weld |
| 44.3 | 1982-06-25 | 2 | 40°23'N / 104°38'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Weld | |
| 44.5 | 1974-08-15 | 3 | 40°41'N / 103°10'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Logan | |
| 45.3 | 1958-06-08 | 2 | 40°04'N / 104°42'W | 40°06'N / 104°34'W | 7.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Weld |
| 45.6 | 1996-07-13 | 2 | 39°48'N / 104°24'W | 39°39'N / 104°13'W | 12.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 220K | 6.5M | Adams |
| Brief Description: A fast moving tornado ripped a 12-mile path of destruction near Strasburg, in eastern Adams County. The tornado caused extensive structural damage to several galvanized metal grain silos, farm buildings and sheds in the area. The roof of a two-story log home was completely torn off. The home received substantial damage from the wind and heavy rain that followed the tornado. Several other homes in the area sustained roof damage and a number of power poles were downed along Highway 36. | |||||||||||
| 47.8 | 1982-06-12 | 3 | 39°49'N / 104°32'W | 39°53'N / 104°32'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Adams |
* 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.