Ellis County, Oklahoma severe weather history spans 752 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 56.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #342 nationally and #38 in Oklahoma.
752
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$6.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Ellis County, Oklahoma severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ellis County, Oklahoma severe weather history averages 10.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 219 events fall before 1990 and 533 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.7M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ellis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 424 | 0 | $580K | 4.5 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 228 | 0 | $793K | 80 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 82 | 0 | $4.7M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2007 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Ellis County, Oklahoma severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
83 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 73 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-14 | EF3 | 6 | 29 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1987-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-06-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ellis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 26, 2007 | Hail | SHATTUCK ARPT | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| May 6, 2007 | Tornado | HARMON | 0 | 1 | $612K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado developed 4 miles north-northeast of Roll in northern Roger Mills County and crossed the Canadian River into southern Ellis County at 9:36 pm CDT. Two houses and two mobile homes were destroyed in the Packsaddle area of southern Ellis County to the east of US Highway 283 (about 18 miles south-southwest of Harmon), and a roof was removed from another mobile home. At least one of these homes suffered a complete removal of the roof and some damage to the exterior walls. Several cars were damaged or destroyed, as well as trees and power lines. Monetary values were estimated.
This tornado developed in Lipscomb County Texas and moved through Beaver County (see Storm Data entries from the NWS Amarillo in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles) before moving into northwest Ellis County. This tornado was surveyed by meteorologists from both the NWS Norman and Amarillo.||Immediately after moving into Ellis County, a home and outbuilding were completely destroyed. An extended cab pickup truck in a carport at this home was blown 0.3 of a mile northeast with some pieces of the truck found over one half mile northeast of the home. Numerous power poles were snapped both north-south along the county line and east-west along county road 30. ||The tornado continued to move northeast and into Harper County southwest of Laverne.
Windows were blown out of a house west of Arnett. Surrounding the house, a barn and several outbuildings were destroyed. Farm equipment at the home was also destroyed. Numerous tree limbs and power lines were downed. Monetary damages were estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,683
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2025 | Fire | 840 ROAD FIRE | FM |
| Feb 27, 2024 | Fire | CATESBY FIRE | FM |
| Feb 24, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Dec 21, 2020 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Apr 5, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Arnett 156
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ellis County, Oklahoma?
752 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ellis County?
Hail, with 424 recorded events — 56.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ellis County?
83 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 73 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ellis County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ellis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ellis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ellis County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ellis County, Oklahoma severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Dewey County 635
- Garfield County 1,243
- Delaware County 636
- Garvin County 768
- Custer County 811
- Grady County 1,217
Cite this page
“Ellis County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/ellis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.