82
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$4.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Ellis County, Oklahoma: 82 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #107 nationally and #19 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Ellis County, Oklahoma: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Ellis County is the 1960s, when 22 of the county's 82 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Ellis County archive, tornado makes up 10.9% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #107 for this hazard and #19 within Oklahoma, putting it in the 96.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Ellis County with 31 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-04-14 | EF3 | 34.0 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 6.0 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-23 | EF3 | 15.7 mi | 1,500 yd | Crossed in |
| 1987-03-22 | EF3 | 30.0 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1958-06-21 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-17 | EF2 | 14.3 mi | 1,200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-16 | EF2 | 27.2 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-26 | EF2 | 10.3 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 7.3 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-05 | EF2 | 16.0 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1990 | F2 | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| May 6, 2007 | HARMON | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $612K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF1 | $20K |
| Jun 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF2 | $75K |
| May 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF1 | $15K |
| May 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF3 | $100K |
| May 18, 2025 | ARNETT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2023 | ARNETT | EF1 | $10K |
| May 24, 2019 | CATESBY | EF3 | $150K |
| Apr 17, 2019 | SHATTUCK | EF0 | $1K |
| Apr 17, 2019 | SHATTUCK | EF1 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Ellis County
- Hail 424
- Thunderstorm Wind 228
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.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Ellis County, Oklahoma?
82 tornado events are recorded in Ellis County between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Ellis County?
The strongest tornado on record in Ellis County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Ellis County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Ellis County, Oklahoma.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/oklahoma/ellis-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.