Ellis County, Texas severe weather history spans 926 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #187 nationally and #22 in Texas.
926
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
148
Direct injuries
$80.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Ellis County, Texas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ellis County, Texas severe weather history averages 13.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 219 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 160 events fall before 1990 and 766 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ellis County, Texas record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $31.6M in reported property damage. In total, 8 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 | 437 | 0 | $27.3M | 4.5 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 304 | 1 | $14.1M | 91 | 1958–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 100 | 2 | $6.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 63 | 0 | $31.6M | F4 | 1956–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $943K | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $120K | 0 | 2009–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $108K | 0 | 1996–2009 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
Decade by decade
Ellis County, Texas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
68 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 64 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-05-26 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 18.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-12-26 | EF3 | 0 | 46 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-26 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 10 | 13.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 16 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 20 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ellis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 29, 2004 | Flash Flood | OVILLA | 2 | 0 | $20K |
| Mar 8, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | ENNIS MUNI ARPT | 1 | 4 | $9K |
| Dec 27, 2015 | Tornado | SARDIS | 0 | 46 | $8.4M |
| Apr 29, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $250K | |
| Apr 21, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 18 | $250K | |
| Nov 5, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Maypearl | 0 | 17 | $5K |
| Dec 13, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| May 4, 2021 | Tornado | FIVE PTS | 0 | 8 | $1.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado began near Highway 67 and 9th Street on the north side of Midlothian and traveled east for approximately 2.8 miles. Several church and retail buildings experienced blown out windows and roof damage. One of the buildings connected to the Lighthouse Church was heavily damaged with the collapse of the southward facing wall and much of the roof removed. Just to the east of Highway 67, sheet metal was peeled on two buildings and metal roof purlins were bent on one. This damage was consistent with winds of 100 to 110 mph, and EF-1 intensity. The tornado weakened some as it headed east and crossed into a residential area south of Mockingbird Lane. Damage indicates the tornado intensified in the area of Morning Dove Lane and Pheasant Drive. Several homes experienced significant roof damage, uplift of the roof deck of at least one home, some windows blown out, a garage door collapsed, and several trees were uprooted. This type of damage was consistent with wind speeds of 100 to 110 mph, or EF-1 intensity. The tornado weakened before ending near Walnut Grove Road.
This tornado produced a long and narrow damage path from just northeast of the Mid-Way Regional airport near Midlothian to the Ellis County line. The tornado then continued into Dallas County. Sixty-seven single family homes were affected, with 23 of these being completely destroyed. The strongest portion of the tornado occurred near the Ellis / Dallas County line, with EF3 damage observed in both counties.
There was widespread flash flooding in and around Waxahachie. There were numerous high water rescues, a trailer park near Red Oak was evacuated, several bridges were under water, and many roads were flooded and closed. Over 100 homes had flood damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
213,160
Population (ACS)
$349K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2024 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 19, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
| Feb 14, 2021 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Aug 24, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORMS MARCO AND LAURA | EM |
| Mar 25, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waxahachie 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ellis County, Texas?
926 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $80.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ellis County?
Hail, with 437 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ellis County?
68 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 64 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ellis County?
24 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 relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ellis County, Texas 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
- Edwards County 233
- El Paso County 442
- Ector County 814
- Erath County 545
- Eastland County 506
- Falls County 245
Cite this page
“Ellis County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/ellis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.