Gaines County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Gaines County is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Gaines County is much lower than Texas average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #89
| Gaines County | 0.02 |
| 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
| Gaines County | 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, #149
| Gaines County | 116.91 |
| 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 7,565 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Gaines 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: | 1 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 71 |
| Dust Storm: | 8 | Flood: | 823 | Hail: | 4,476 | Heat: | 2 | Heavy Snow: | 17 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 4 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 74 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,933 | Tropical Storm: | 1 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 15 | Winter Weather: | 31 |
| Other: | 107 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Gaines County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Gaines County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Gaines County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 27 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Gaines County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.7 | 1969-04-19 | 3 | 32°42'N / 102°40'W | 0.10 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gaines | |
| 7.9 | 1982-05-12 | 2 | 32°32'N / 102°43'W | 32°45'N / 102°40'W | 15.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 17 | 2.5M | 0 | Gaines |
| 10.0 | 1961-06-18 | 2 | 32°37'N / 102°33'W | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Gaines | |||
| 12.6 | 1997-04-10 | 2 | 32°43'N / 102°25'W | 32°43'N / 102°25'W | 2.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 80K | 0 | Gaines |
| Brief Description: This second tornado was spawned about two miles east of were tornado #1 dissipated. This tornado tracked to the northeast and overturned two center-pivot irrigation systems. The second system looked as if a couple of sections had become airborne from the resulting damage which snapped off a large wheel. The beginnings of a monster storm were in western Andrews County along the dry line and began moving to the northeast. Just after leaving Seminole in central Gaines County this storm became a supercell and turned almost straight east. According to the KMAF 88D average storm movement was 221 degrees at 26 kt, but this supercell turned and slowed to 268 degrees at 14 kt (47 degrees to the right at 54% speed). The storm continued into the Texas South Plains where it produced numerous other tornadoes and caused one fatality. The environment for the storms according to the rawinsonde sounding that evening on the SHARP workstation showed a buoyancy of about 2800 J/kg for the best lifted parcel and 1700 J/kg for a mean low level parcel. A cap of 65 J/kg kept other storms from forming in the area. | |||||||||||
| 19.5 | 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 |
| 28.5 | 1991-06-06 | 2 | 32°36'N / 103°08'W | 32°36'N / 103°03'W | 4.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lea |
| 29.3 | 1982-05-27 | 2 | 32°42'N / 103°08'W | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Lea | |||
| 30.1 | 1962-06-16 | 2 | 32°28'N / 102°14'W | 0.80 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Andrews | |
| 30.1 | 1991-06-06 | 2 | 32°38'N / 103°12'W | 32°38'N / 103°04'W | 10.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Lea |
| 30.1 | 1991-06-06 | 2 | 32°38'N / 103°12'W | 32°38'N / 103°04'W | 10.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lea |
| 31.5 | 1971-05-08 | 2 | 32°36'N / 102°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Dawson | |
| 32.5 | 1957-05-15 | 2 | 33°11'N / 102°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Yoakum | |
| 33.4 | 1980-06-19 | 2 | 32°50'N / 102°04'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Dawson | |
| 34.4 | 1991-06-06 | 2 | 32°42'N / 103°22'W | 32°38'N / 103°04'W | 17.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lea |
| 38.2 | 1965-06-08 | 2 | 32°54'N / 102°10'W | 32°54'N / 101°50'W | 19.40 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 8 | 25K | 0 | Dawson |
| 38.4 | 1981-06-03 | 2 | 33°13'N / 102°17'W | 2.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Terry | |
| 38.8 | 1970-05-31 | 2 | 32°30'N / 102°07'W | 32°40'N / 101°52'W | 18.60 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Martin |
| 38.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.3 | 1971-08-12 | 2 | 33°11'N / 102°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Terry | |
| 39.3 | 1971-08-12 | 2 | 33°11'N / 102°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Terry | |
| 39.3 | 1971-08-12 | 2 | 33°11'N / 102°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Terry | |
| 41.5 | 1961-05-20 | 2 | 33°19'N / 102°25'W | 0.10 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Terry | |
| 41.5 | 1971-08-13 | 2 | 33°17'N / 102°21'W | 33°17'N / 102°17'W | 4.10 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Terry |
| 41.9 | 1972-06-14 | 2 | 33°06'N / 103°13'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lea | |||
| 45.3 | 1954-05-17 | 3 | 32°58'N / 103°22'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Lea | |||
| 47.1 | 1960-07-24 | 2 | 32°58'N / 103°24'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lea | |||
| 47.2 | 1963-05-29 | 2 | 33°25'N / 102°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hockley | |
* 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.