Ellis County, TX Environment & Hazard Risk
Relatively Moderate natural hazard risk, led by hail. 823 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $46.93M
- Relatively Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 823
- Most often hail
- Flood insurance policies
- 469
- 0.8% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 1 tropical storm or stronger since 1902
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Relatively Moderate
Score 81.6 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Low
Score 35.3 of 100
Community resilience
Relatively High
Score 75.3 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $36.13B · Agriculture value exposed: $94.17M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $47.41M
Risk by hazard
- HailRelatively High$3.89M/yr expected annual loss, about 7.9 events a year
- Heat waveRelatively Moderate$3.28M/yr expected annual loss, about 17 events a year
- Cold waveRelatively Moderate$6.56M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- TornadoRelatively Moderate$6.37M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1 year
- LightningRelatively High$1.01M/yr expected annual loss, about 55 events a year
- WildfireRelatively Low$805K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 716 years
- Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$106K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.5 events a year
- Ice stormRelatively Low$126K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.0 events a year
- HurricaneVery Low$92K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 68 years
- EarthquakeVery Low$303K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,181 years
- Strong windRelatively Low$447K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.9 events a year
- DroughtRelatively Low$80.88K/yr expected annual loss, about 29 events a year
- LandslideVery Low$640/yr expected annual loss, about once every 8 years
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 469 of 60,605 (0.8%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 881
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 257 (29%)
- Flood claims since 1978
- 159
- Claims paid since 1978
- $6.04M
Flood claims paid per year
- Dallas Flash Floods$551K · 11 claims
- Texas Spring Flooding$233K · 3 claims
- Flooding$68.08K · 10 claims
- March storm$56.53K · 4 claims
- Tropical Storm Claudette$36.58K · 1 claim
- Thunderstorms$18.5K · 1 claim
Storm history
Since 1996: 823 events, 7 deaths, $60.31M in damage
- Hail312
- Thunderstorm Wind175 · 1 death
- Flash Flood101 · 2 deaths
- Drought74
- Heat41 · 1 death
- Tornado28
- Excessive Heat17 · 1 death
- Winter Storm13
- Winter Weather10
- Lightning10
Events per year
63 tornadoes on record (EF0 13, EF1 2, EF2 1, EF3 1, F0 18, F1 11, F2 6, F3 1, F4 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- TornadoEF3, 6.73 mi path, 125 yd wide12/27/2015
Sardis, Ellis County
46 injured, $8.36M damage
What happened
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.
- Extreme Cold/Wind Chill02/15/2021
Ellis
2 deaths, $600K damage
What happened
Extreme cold gripped the county for several days. Overnight lows were near or below 20 degrees Fahrenheit almost all week. The period of February 15-16th was the coldest with low temperatures in the single digits. The maximum temperature on the 15th was only in the teens. Wind chill values during the 14th-16th were between 10 to -15 degrees Fahrenheit most of the time. The cold temperatures resulted in an extreme amount of damage to pipes, infrastructure, and power. The State listed 2 fatalities in Ellis County due to the winter storm but no additional information could be obtained.
- Flash Flood07/29/2004
Ovilla, Ellis County
2 deaths, $20K damage
What happened
Two men drowned when they drove their trucks across a bridge that had been washed out from flash flooding around 445 AM.
- Hail3" hail04/10/2021
Italy, Ellis County
$20M damage
What happened
A strong spring storm system comprising of a pair of upper level disturbances, a dryline, and a cold front generated several instances of severe hail across North Texas. Hail stones up to 3 was recorded.
- Thunderstorm Wind65 kt wind03/08/2025
Ennis Muni Arpt, Ellis County
1 death, 4 injured, $9,000 damage
What happened
A RV was blown over and rolled several times at the Texas Motorplex near Ennis. One man was killed and 4 others were injured.
- Excessive Heat06/20/2019
Ellis
1 death
What happened
Heat indices between 105 and 110 degrees occurred across Ellis County during the afternoons of June 20 through June 21, 2019. The medical examiner determined that an 11-month old girl died of hyperthermia after being left in a hot car in the city of Bardwell, TX on the afternoon of the 21st.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Excessive Heat07/22/2026
Ellis
- Heat07/20/2026
Ellis
- Thunderstorm Wind54 kt wind07/13/2026
Ennis, Ellis County
$10K damage
- Heat06/18/2026
Ellis
- Flash Flood06/07/2026
Boyce, Ellis County
- Hail1" hail06/07/2026
Red Oak, Ellis County
- Hail1" hail05/25/2026
Waxahachie, Ellis County
- Hail1.5" hail04/29/2026
Ennis, Ellis County
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Ellis County, with the wind when it passed
- Unnamed storm (1902)06/21/1902 · Landfall: TXTropical storm40 mph nearby
Drinking water
32 community water systems serve about 252,842 people. Violations since 2021.
7 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 6 systems had a violation of any kind still open at last report.
- City of WaxahachieServes 50,814 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Rockett SudServes 46,614 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- City of MidlothianServes 27,699 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- Mountain Peak SudServes 25,302 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
- City of EnnisServes 24,891 · Surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Sardis Lone Elm WscServes 20,736 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- City of Red OakServes 18,577 · Purchased surface water · Local governmentNo health violations
- Buena Vista Bethel SudServes 8,218 · Groundwater · Local government1 health violation
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Bardwell Dam, 7.9 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 95°F in Aug and winter lows bottom out near 36°F in Jan. About 40.2 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 36°F | 2.91 in | - |
| Feb | 61°F | 40°F | 3.03 in | - |
| Mar | 68°F | 46°F | 3.48 in | - |
| Apr | 75°F | 54°F | 3.68 in | - |
| May | 82°F | 63°F | 4.36 in | - |
| Jun | 90°F | 72°F | 3.57 in | - |
| Jul | 94°F | 74°F | 1.86 in | - |
| Aug | 95°F | 74°F | 2.75 in | - |
| Sep | 89°F | 67°F | 3.41 in | - |
| Oct | 79°F | 55°F | 4.66 in | - |
| Nov | 67°F | 45°F | 3.06 in | - |
| Dec | 59°F | 38°F | 3.40 in | 0.3 in |
| Year | 66°F average | 40.2 in | 0.3 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 39 toxic release facilities in Ellis County
Superfund sites
None in this county.
Toxic release facilities
- Chaparral Steel Midlothian LP923,492 lbs released, Midlothian
- Holcim (Us) Inc.600,737 lbs released, Midlothian
- Owens Corning Insulating Systems LLC - Waxahachie405,318 lbs released, Waxahachie
- Martin Marietta North Texas Cement LLC168,512 lbs released, Midlothian
- The Praxis Cos LLC99,513 lbs released, Ennis
- Polynt Composites USA Inc. - Ennis72,824 lbs released, Ennis
- Ash Grove Cement Co52,628 lbs released, Midlothian
- US Aluminum Corp34,919 lbs released, Waxahachie
- Elk Co of Texas LLC15,361 lbs released, Ennis
- Ennis-Flint North13,574 lbs released, Ennis
Total: 2.4 million lbs in 2024, 949,238 lbs to air.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk108 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Ellis County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Ellis County relatively moderate for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $46.93M a year. The highest-rated hazards are hail (relatively high), heat wave (relatively moderate), cold wave (relatively moderate).
- What storms are most common in Ellis County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 823 storm events affecting Ellis County, most often hail (312), thunderstorm wind (175), flash flood (101).
- How many tornadoes have hit Ellis County?
- 63 tornadoes have been recorded in Ellis County since 1950, including 3 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Ellis County have flood insurance?
- 469 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Ellis County, covering about 0.8% of homes. The program has paid $6.04M on 159 claims here since 1978.
- What is the weather like in Ellis County?
- At Bardwell Dam, average highs reach 95°F in Aug and lows fall to 36°F in Jan, with 40.2 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.