Washoe County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Washoe County is much higher than Nevada average and is much higher than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Washoe County is about the same as Nevada average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #1
| Washoe County | 9.34 |
| Nevada | 2.88 |
| 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, #2
| Washoe County | 0.0382 |
| Nevada | 0.0147 |
| 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, #1
| Washoe County | 7.18 |
| Nevada | 4.84 |
| 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 310 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Washoe 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: | 0 | Drought: | 0 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 36 | Hail: | 77 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 0 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 0 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 9 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 89 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 9 | Winter Weather: | 0 |
| Other: | 86 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
A total of 7 volcanoes are found in or near Washoe County.
| Distance (miles) | Name | Region | Latitude | Longitude | Elevation (foot) | Type | Status | Last Eruption |
| 58.9 | Eagle Lake Field | US-California, United States | 40.63 | -120.83 | 1652 | Fissure vent | Holocene | Unknown |
| 88.2 | Big Cave | US-California, United States | 40.955 | -121.365 | 1259 | Shield volcano | Holocene | Unknown |
| 90.2 | Potato Butte | US-California, United States | 40.63 | -121.43 | 1532 | Shield volcano | Holocene | Unknown |
| 91.7 | Steamboat Springs | US-Nevada, United States | 39.375 | -119.72 | 1415 | Lava dome | Pleistocene-Fumarol | Quaternary eruption(s) with the only known Holocene activity being hydrothermal |
| 95.4 | Lassen Volc Center | US-California, United States | 40.492 | -121.508 | 3187 | Stratovolcano | Historical | Last known eruption 1900-1963 |
| 96.1 | Brushy Butte | US-California, United States | 41.178 | -121.443 | 1174 | Shield volcano | Holocene | Unknown |
| 190.2 | Mono Lake Volc Field | US-California, United States | 38 | -119.03 | 2121 | Cinder cone | Tephrochronology | Last known eruption 1700-1799 |
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 6 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Washoe County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 46.4 | 1950-12-14 | 5.6 | N/A | 40.1 | -120.1 |
| 37.8 | 1937-06-18 | 5.3 | N/A | 41.25 | -119.75 |
| 48.9 | 1976-06-20 | 4.5 | 5 | 40.43 | -120.57 |
| 49.0 | 1950-12-14 | 4.5 | N/A | 40.1 | -120.2 |
| 47.0 | 1950-12-15 | 4.4 | N/A | 40.08 | -120.07 |
| 46.4 | 1964-04-25 | 3.7 | N/A | 40.1 | -120.1 |
Historical Tornado Events
No historical tornado events that had recorded magnitudes of 2 or above found in or near Washoe County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Washoe County.
* 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.