50
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Ellsworth County, Kansas: 50 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #372 nationally and #35 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Ellsworth County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Ellsworth County is the 2000s, when 14 of the county's 50 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 Ellsworth County archive, tornado makes up 7.3% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #372 for this hazard and #35 within Kansas, putting it in the 86.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Ellsworth County with 24 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 | EF4 | 50.3 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-24 | EF3 | 26.0 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-22 | EF3 | 59.7 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 5.4 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 20.1 mi | 350 yd | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-30 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 30 yd | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-25 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF1 | 7.6 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-11 | EF1 | 10.0 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 2007-05-05 | EF1 | 4.5 mi | 75 yd | Crossed in |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2, 2025 | CARNEIRO | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2024 | WILSON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2018 | ELLSWORTH | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2016 | HOLYROOD | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2012 | KANAPOLIS RES | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | KANAPOLIS RES | EF4 | $0 |
| May 25, 2011 | WILSON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2008 | LORRAINE | EF0 | $10K |
| Jun 12, 2008 | ELLSWORTH ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | BLACK WOLF | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Ellsworth County
- Hail 376
- Thunderstorm Wind 207
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado scoured and dug out a section gravel road about 4 to 5 inches deep. Home was swept off foundation and destroyed with small stair case remaining in center. Debris from home was tossed into adjacent tree line to the northeast. Numerous trees around the house were snapped and shredded. Some trees were also debarked from the intense wind speeds. Car was flipped and tossed upside down. This tornado moved into McPherson County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Ellsworth County, Kansas?
50 tornado events are recorded in Ellsworth County between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Ellsworth County?
The strongest tornado on record in Ellsworth County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Ellsworth 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 Ellsworth County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/ellsworth-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.