Odessa, TX Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Odessa is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Odessa is much lower than Texas average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #206
| Odessa, TX | 0.05 |
| 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
| Odessa, TX | 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, #1600
| Odessa, TX | 101.05 |
| 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 2,121 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Odessa, TX 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: | 0 | Drought: | 18 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 328 | Hail: | 1,164 | Heat: | 1 | Heavy Snow: | 7 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 1 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 22 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 541 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 2 | Winter Weather: | 7 |
| Other: | 28 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Odessa, TX.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 3 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Odessa, TX.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 43.2 | 1976-01-25 | 4.1 | 2 | 31.9 | -103.08 |
| 49.1 | 1982-01-04 | 3.9 | 5 | 31.18 | -102.49 |
| 24.2 | 1978-03-02 | 3.5 | 11 | 31.56 | -102.51 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 18 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Odessa, TX.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.6 | 1973-05-12 | 2 | 31°51'N / 102°19'W | 1.00 Mile | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ector | |
| 3.4 | 1961-07-21 | 2 | 31°55'N / 102°23'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ector | |
| 14.7 | 1969-06-03 | 2 | 32°00'N / 102°20'W | 32°09'N / 102°09'W | 14.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ector |
| 15.5 | 1965-05-15 | 3 | 31°58'N / 102°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Midland | |
| 16.0 | 1981-10-15 | 2 | 31°39'N / 102°22'W | 1.50 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Ector | |
| 21.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 22.3 | 1957-05-24 | 2 | 32°09'N / 102°08'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Martin | |
| 32.9 | 1991-10-27 | 2 | 32°14'N / 101°58'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Martin | |
| 33.2 | 1962-07-10 | 2 | 31°24'N / 102°21'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Crane | |||
| 36.4 | 1954-05-29 | 2 | 31°24'N / 102°36'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Crane | |||
| 41.0 | 1962-06-16 | 2 | 32°28'N / 102°14'W | 0.80 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Andrews | |
| 41.0 | 1957-05-24 | 3 | 32°19'N / 101°52'W | 1.50 Miles | 83 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Martin | |
| 43.5 | 1955-05-30 | 2 | 31°50'N / 103°05'W | 2.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Winkler | |
| 44.0 | 2006-05-05 | 2 | 32°28'N / 102°03'W | 32°28'N / 102°03'W | 6.10 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Martin |
| Brief Description: A tornado developed in Martin County in open fields north of County Road D4800 and east of County Road D2651. Based on spotter reports, the tornado was visible at 8:02 pm CDT just south of CR D4800 and west of Farm to Market Road 829 (FM 829), south-southeast of Patricia. According to spotter reports, it took on a stove-pipe like shape and continued to move to the east-southeast along FM 829. A few minutes later, the tornado pulled an oil pump jack and well head from the ground. The pump jack was estimated to weigh about 35,000 pounds by an oil company representative. The well head was anchored in the ground by an additional 35,000 pounds of weight from pipe below the ground. Southward along FM 829, four power poles were snapped four to five feet above ground and an additional six poles farther south were blown over to the east due to rear flank downdraft winds. Another couple of minutes later, an oil heater treater weighing approximately 12,000 pounds was blown over. The damage survey team classified the damage that occurred between 8:02pm CDT and 8:07pm CDT, when the oil heater treater was blown over, as F2 intensity damage. After blowing over the oil heater, the tornado became rain-wrapped and crossed County Road 4600, just west of County Road D3401. Five power poles were knocked down on County Road D3401. Based on information received from both spotters and chasers, the tornado dissipated at 8:14pm CDT, just west of Texas Highway 137. During the remainder of the tornado's path, it remained mainly over open country. The damage survey team calculated the width of the tornado to be 130 yards near the end of its life. However, the track was estimated to be between 200 and 300 yards during earlier stages of its life. The path length was calculated to be just over six miles long. | |||||||||||
| 45.4 | 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 |
| 45.9 | 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 |
| 47.0 | 1982-05-12 | 2 | 32°25'N / 102°45'W | 32°32'N / 102°43'W | 6.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Andrews |
| 47.1 | 1964-06-20 | 2 | 32°15'N / 101°40'W | 0.80 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Howard | |
* 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.