De Witt County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in De Witt County is about the same as Texas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in De Witt County is much lower than Texas average and is lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #138
| De Witt County | 0.01 |
| 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
| De Witt 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, #169
| De Witt County | 103.88 |
| 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 6,709 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of De Witt 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: | 2 | Cold: | 14 | Dense Fog: | 2 | Drought: | 183 |
| Dust Storm: | 2 | Flood: | 1,836 | Hail: | 2,243 | Heat: | 16 | Heavy Snow: | 38 |
| High Surf: | 2 | Hurricane: | 4 | Ice Storm: | 21 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 81 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,896 | Tropical Storm: | 14 | Wildfire: | 29 | Winter Storm: | 33 | Winter Weather: | 39 |
| Other: | 254 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near De Witt County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near De Witt County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near De Witt County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 22 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near De Witt County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 9.9 | 1969-04-11 | 2 | 28°57'N / 97°18'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | De Witt | |
| 20.7 | 1991-02-19 | 2 | 29°16'N / 97°38'W | 0.20 Mile | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Gonzales | |
| 24.0 | 1960-10-15 | 2 | 28°54'N / 97°42'W | 2.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Karnes | |
| 27.1 | 1967-09-20 | 3 | 29°21'N / 97°04'W | 29°21'N / 97°00'W | 4.30 Miles | 333 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Lavaca |
| 27.5 | 1965-05-18 | 2 | 29°16'N / 97°46'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gonzales | |
| 31.3 | 1955-05-18 | 2 | 29°34'N / 97°10'W | 29°20'N / 96°57'W | 20.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lavaca |
| 35.5 | 1955-05-19 | 2 | 29°27'N / 96°57'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lavaca | |
| 35.6 | 1966-04-25 | 3 | 28°49'N / 97°52'W | 28°49'N / 97°52'W | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Karnes | ||
| 36.0 | 2007-03-31 | 2 | 29°23'N / 96°52'W | 29°22'N / 96°52'W | 0 | 4 | 75K | 0K | Lavaca | ||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: To the southeast of Hallettsville, and southeast of the first tornado, a second tornado touched down near 0345 CST. This was just off FM530 on Road 16C, near the community of Light Chapel. This tornado touched down just south of a mobile home and began moving toward the northeast. A father, along with two sons and a daughter, had just arrived home less than an hour before the touchdown and had fallen asleep when the storm struck. The father reported feeling a jolt that awakened him as severe thunderstorm winds ahead of the tornado struck the mobile home. He reported that it became quiet again and then the mobile home exploded as the tornado stuck. He and his three children were blown and tossed almost 150 feet, coming to rest on the top of the former south wall of his mobile home. Broken glass was everywhere, but, in spite of cuts and bruises, they took shelter in a small nearby roofless shack as hail continued to fall. He then walked, carrying an injured son and daughter, to a neighbor???s house to call for help. His truck, parked under an awning just south of the mobile home was rolled and crushed. Had he and his children arrived only a few minutes later at their home, they could easily have been killed. That all have recovered except for minor bruises and cuts can only be considered a miracle. The father???s comments were that it???s all okay ??? we???re okay. What was destroyed is just ???stuff.??? Based on the destroyed mobile home, which had been tied down, and the rolled and twisted metal frame, the tornado was rated EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. Winds were estimated at 115 mph. The tornado path length was placed at four-tenths of a mile with a path width of 75 yards. EPISODE NARRATIVE: In the early morning hours of March 31, both supercells and short bow echoes began to form along the north-south aligned cold front after it crossed the IH-35 corridor. Moving into the eastern portion of South Central Texas, these storms produced heavy rainfall, large hail, and two tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 36.2 | 1968-11-05 | 3 | 28°48'N / 97°00'W | 28°43'N / 96°47'W | 14.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Victoria |
| 36.9 | 1972-03-20 | 2 | 29°26'N / 96°56'W | 29°26'N / 96°52'W | 4.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lavaca |
| 37.1 | 1967-05-08 | 2 | 28°58'N / 98°02'W | 29°01'N / 97°54'W | 8.90 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Karnes |
| 39.9 | 1967-09-20 | 3 | 29°27'N / 96°51'W | 2.00 Miles | 167 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Lavaca | |
| 40.6 | 1994-05-13 | 2 | 29°23'N / 96°47'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 5K | Lavaca | |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down near Vienna, destroying a mobile home and a house, knocking down power lines and covering the roadway with debris. One witness reported hearing a sound like a "freight train." | |||||||||||
| 42.7 | 1966-02-09 | 3 | 28°58'N / 96°40'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 43.1 | 1973-10-11 | 2 | 29°39'N / 97°16'W | 29°45'N / 97°15'W | 7.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Gonzales |
| 43.7 | 1961-08-04 | 2 | 29°42'N / 97°31'W | 0.10 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Caldwell | |
| 44.2 | 1953-12-01 | 3 | 29°30'N / 97°56'W | 29°32'N / 97°52'W | 5.10 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Guadalupe |
| 44.4 | 2007-07-21 | 2 | 29°26'N / 97°58'W | 29°28'N / 97°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0K | Guadalupe |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: At approximately 4:25 am CST a tornado estimated to be an EF-2 touched down about 9 miles south of Seguin and 1/4 mile southeast of CR411. The tornado moved northward along SH123 for nearly 1 mile before turning slightly to the north northwest and crossing CR410. It damaged three outbuildings, a residence and a store, but no one was injured. The tornado ranged in width from 50 yards up to 150 yards. The total track length was approximately 2 miles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms associated with a persistent upper level low produced heavy rain and flash flooding through the morning on July 21. | |||||||||||
| 45.0 | 1957-04-26 | 2 | 29°41'N / 97°39'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Caldwell | |||
| 46.8 | 1965-01-21 | 2 | 29°37'N / 96°53'W | 0.80 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Fayette | |
| 47.2 | 1973-10-11 | 2 | 29°45'N / 97°15'W | 29°46'N / 97°15'W | 1.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Fayette |
* 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.