Tornadoes · United States · Oklahoma

Tornadoes in Ellis County, Oklahoma

83 tornadoes have crossed Ellis County since 1950, 17th of the 77 counties in Oklahoma with a tornado on record, an average of 1.1 a year. They have killed 6 people and injured 35. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
83
Deaths
6
Injuries
35
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 14, 2012

The deadliest in Ellis County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 39 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Ellis County. Each year links to every tornado in Oklahoma that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20256EF3
20231EF1
20193EF3
20152EF2
20121629EF3
20111EF0
20102EF1
20091EF2
200771EF2
20043F0
20022F1
20001F1
19991F0
19951F0
19922F0
199015F2
19873F2
19832F1
19823F2
19811F0
19781F2
19771F1
19731F1
19691F0
19681F0
19673F2
19663F1
19654F2
19642F0
19626F0
19611F2
19601F2
19581F3
19573F1
19561F1
19555F2
19542F2
19511F1
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Ellis County

83 tornadoes, newest first. 6 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Oklahoma.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 17, 20258:07 PM CDTEF1Ellis1.850$20,000
June 17, 20258:06 PM CDTEF2Ellis14.31,200$105,000
May 18, 20255:58 PM CDTEF1Ellis3.550$15,000
May 18, 20255:56 PM CDTEF0Ellis0.210
May 18, 20255:41 PM CDTEF3Ellis6.050$100,000
May 18, 20255:21 PM CDTEF1Hemphill to OK1.775$35,000
June 15, 20236:29 PM CDTEF1Ellis to OK4.8200$11,000
May 23, 20198:26 PM CDTEF3Lipscomb to OK15.71,500$170,000
April 17, 20194:49 PM CDTEF0Ellis1.310$1,000
April 17, 20194:47 PM CDTEF1Ellis1.650$20,000
November 16, 20159:18 PM CSTEF2Harper27.2400$7,000
November 16, 20158:20 PM CSTEF1Hemphill to OK43.0200
April 14, 201211:42 PM CDTEF3Ellis34.0400629
June 11, 20118:30 PM CDTEF0Ellis1.010$100,000
May 19, 20103:15 AM CDTEF1Ellis0.530
May 19, 20101:22 AM CDTEF0Ellis0.550
April 26, 20094:34 PM CDTEF2Roger Mills10.3300
May 5, 200710:50 PM CDTEF0Ellis1.0100
May 5, 20079:36 PM CDTEF2Ellis7.33001$612,000
May 5, 20078:56 PM CDTEF0Ellis2.050
May 5, 20078:39 PM CDTEF0Ellis0.330
May 5, 20078:16 PM CDTEF0Roger Mills5.0200$10,000
May 4, 20076:45 PM CDTEF0Ellis0.230$3,000
May 4, 20076:21 PM CDTEF1Ellis4.050$110,000
April 21, 20047:28 PM CDTF0Ellis1.0200
April 21, 20047:26 PM CDTF0Ellis0.330
March 27, 200412:43 PM CSTF0Ellis2.050
June 12, 20027:30 PM CDTF1Ellis1.050$20,000
May 5, 20027:58 PM CDTF0Hemphill to OK1.525
February 24, 20008:13 PM CSTF1Lipscomb to OK27.0150$90,000
June 18, 19997:06 PM CDTF0Ellis0.00
June 8, 19958:17 PM CDTF0Ellis0.130
April 9, 19926:08 PM CDTF0Ellis0.220
April 9, 19926:05 PM CDTF0Ellis0.230
April 24, 199010:23 PM CDTF2Ellis19.02505$500,000 to $5 million
March 22, 19877:30 PM CSTF1Ellis0.150$5,000 to $50,000
March 22, 19877:10 PM CSTF0Ellis0.210
March 22, 19876:45 PM CSTF2Ellis7.5100$50,000 to $500,000
May 27, 198310:37 PM CDTF0Ellis0.150under $50
May 13, 19838:45 PM CDTF1Ellis2.540$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19828:35 PM CDTF0Ellis0.110under $50
May 15, 198210:30 PM CDTF2Ellis3.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19827:31 PM CDTF0Ellis0.110under $50
March 4, 19814:25 PM CSTF0Ellis0.313
April 30, 19788:33 PM CDTF2Ellis3.060$5,000 to $50,000
March 2, 19771:24 PM CSTF1Ellis1.0100under $50
November 19, 19735:15 PM CSTF1Ellis4.340$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19696:00 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 9, 19684:30 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 10, 19675:30 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 10, 19674:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis3.8100$500 to $5,000
June 10, 19671:10 AM GMT-5F2Ellis0.110$500 to $5,000
June 7, 19667:00 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
April 17, 19664:40 PM GMT-6F0Ellis1.010
April 17, 19663:40 PM GMT-6F1Ellis6.5100$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19655:00 PM GMT-5F1Harper0.110
May 25, 19654:35 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
May 13, 196510:00 PM GMT-5F2Ellis0.110$50 to $500
May 7, 19657:50 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
August 17, 19647:00 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
May 10, 19647:45 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19626:20 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19626:20 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19626:20 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19626:05 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19626:00 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
June 5, 19625:55 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110
May 4, 19619:00 PM GMT-5F2Ellis0.110$500 to $5,000
March 28, 19606:30 PM GMT-6F2Ellis24.2200$500 to $5,000
June 21, 19582:15 AM GMT-5F3Ellis0.567$50,000 to $500,000
May 29, 19579:15 PM GMT-5F0Ellis0.110under $50
May 16, 19571:32 AM GMT-5F1Ellis6.9200$500 to $5,000
April 20, 19571:40 AM GMT-6F0Ellis0.110$50 to $500
June 23, 195610:00 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110
June 22, 195510:00 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110
June 16, 19557:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110
June 15, 19559:00 PM GMT-5F2Ellis5.9500$50,000 to $500,000
June 3, 19557:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19557:00 PM GMT-5F1Ellis4.9400$500 to $5,000
October 25, 19546:30 PM GMT-6F0Ellis7.910$50 to $500
April 29, 19544:00 PM GMT-5F2Roger Mills33.310$5,000 to $50,000
July 27, 19514:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19507:30 PM GMT-5F1Ellis0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Ellis CountyThe forecast for Ellis CountyThe live radar over Ellis CountyEvery county in Oklahoma

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.