Pierce County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Pierce County is much higher than Washington average and is much higher than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Pierce County is about the same as Washington average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #1
| Pierce County | 16.38 |
| Washington | 4.04 |
| 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, #7
| Pierce County | 0.0144 |
| Washington | 0.0135 |
| 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, #6
| Pierce County | 11.35 |
| Washington | 9.06 |
| 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 563 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Pierce 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: | 1 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 1 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 3 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 112 | Hail: | 53 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 31 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 49 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 46 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 16 | Winter Storm: | 1 | Winter Weather: | 2 |
| Other: | 248 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
A total of 7 volcanoes are found in or near Pierce County.
| Distance (miles) | Name | Region | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (foot) | Type | Status | Last Eruption |
| 21.7 | Rainier | US-Washington, United States | 46.87 | -121.758 | 4392 | Stratovolcano | Dendrochronology | Last known eruption 1800-1899 |
| 58.1 | St. Helens | US-Washington, United States | 46.2 | -122.18 | 2549 | Stratovolcano | Historical | Last known eruption 1964 or later |
| 65.5 | Adams | US-Washington, United States | 46.206 | -121.49 | 3742 | Stratovolcano | Tephrochronology | Last known eruption A.D. 1-1499 |
| 78.2 | Indian Heaven | US-Washington, United States | 45.93 | -121.82 | 1513 | Shield volcano | Radiocarbon | Last known eruption B.C. (Holocene) |
| 80.2 | West Crater | US-Washington, United States | 45.88 | -122.08 | 1329 | Volcanic field | Radiocarbon | Last known eruption B.C. (Holocene) |
| 88.2 | Glacier Peak | US-Washington, United States | 48.112 | -121.113 | 3213 | Stratovolcano | Tephrochronology | Last known eruption 1700-1799 |
| 117.1 | Hood | US-Oregon, United States | 45.374 | -121.694 | 3426 | Stratovolcano | Historical | Last known eruption 1800-1899 |
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 39 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Pierce County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 22.1 | 1949-04-13 | 7 | N/A | 47.25 | -122.5 |
| 25.9 | 1965-04-29 | 6.5 | N/A | 47.4 | -122.3 |
| 35.8 | 1946-02-15 | 5.8 | N/A | 47.5 | -122.5 |
| 39.7 | 1946-02-15 | 5.8 | N/A | 47.3 | -122.9 |
| 32.4 | 1945-04-29 | 5.5 | N/A | 47.4 | -121.7 |
| 32.7 | 1939-11-13 | 5.3 | N/A | 47.4 | -122.6 |
| 47.9 | 1981-02-14 | 5.2 | 7 | 46.35 | -122.24 |
| 49.5 | 1981-05-28 | 5 | 3 | 46.53 | -121.41 |
| 35.3 | 1974-04-20 | 4.9 | 5 | 46.76 | -121.52 |
| 33.9 | 1965-10-23 | 4.8 | N/A | 47.5 | -122.4 |
| 37.3 | 1978-03-11 | 4.8 | 25 | 47.42 | -122.71 |
| 49.2 | 1981-05-28 | 4.6 | 3 | 46.53 | -121.42 |
| 46.6 | 1981-05-13 | 4.5 | 10 | 46.37 | -122.26 |
| 37.4 | 1971-12-28 | 4.4 | 27 | 47.58 | -122.22 |
| 39.2 | 1968-11-30 | 4.3 | N/A | 46.5 | -122.4 |
| 21.5 | 1970-10-24 | 4.2 | 25 | 47.3 | -122.4 |
| 37.6 | 1978-03-31 | 4.2 | 23 | 47.42 | -122.72 |
| 45.6 | 1964-10-15 | 4.1 | N/A | 47.7 | -122.1 |
| 48.0 | 1982-03-01 | 4.1 | 12 | 46.35 | -122.25 |
| 20.0 | 1968-06-19 | 4 | N/A | 47.2 | -122.5 |
| 23.2 | 1973-07-18 | 4 | 11 | 46.8 | -121.8 |
| 23.9 | 1975-04-23 | 4 | N/A | 47.08 | -122.65 |
| 27.4 | 1969-10-09 | 4 | N/A | 46.77 | -121.72 |
| 39.7 | 1978-12-31 | 4 | 20 | 47.58 | -121.85 |
| 42.5 | 1979-03-11 | 3.9 | 16 | 46.45 | -122.4 |
| 46.1 | 1970-02-10 | 3.9 | 33 | 47.7 | -122.3 |
| 36.0 | 1979-07-07 | 3.8 | 5 | 46.52 | -122.17 |
| 47.3 | 1981-02-14 | 3.8 | 11 | 46.36 | -122.25 |
| 48.6 | 1981-02-14 | 3.8 | 7 | 46.34 | -122.24 |
| 37.4 | 1985-02-28 | 3.7 | 47 | 47.49 | -122.59 |
| 35.4 | 1979-02-01 | 3.6 | 9 | 47.53 | -121.92 |
| 36.9 | 1984-06-02 | 3.6 | 21 | 47.42 | -122.7 |
| 48.5 | 1980-05-28 | 3.6 | 8 | 46.34 | -122.2 |
| 30.4 | 1985-03-18 | 3.5 | 53 | 47.34 | -122.62 |
| 36.0 | 1969-11-28 | 3.5 | N/A | 47.4 | -122.7 |
| 37.2 | 1973-02-22 | 3.5 | 20 | 47.2 | -122.9 |
| 41.9 | 1973-06-09 | 3.5 | N/A | 47.6 | -121.8 |
| 47.6 | 1981-11-26 | 3.5 | 22 | 47.65 | -122.62 |
| 48.0 | 1981-02-14 | 3.5 | 11 | 46.35 | -122.25 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 2 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Pierce County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 34.4 | 1969-12-12 | 3 | 47°30'N / 122°24'W | 47°32'N / 122°19'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | King |
| 42.7 | 1965-11-10 | 2 | 46°42'N / 122°54'W | 1.50 Miles | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lewis |
* 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.