NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ennis, TX
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ennis, Texas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Alicia in 1983. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Ennis
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ennis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Ennis begins with an unnamed storm in 1871; the most recent system was Alicia in 1983, a tropical storm 58 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. None of the 6 systems has come since 2000. Of the 753 Texas cities on this site, 59% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ennis. The highest rating among the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 25, 1994, came within 20 miles. Of the 142, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on April 30, 2025. Ennis has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 753 Texas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 104 times since 1961, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Ennis has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 753 Texas cities.
Compare Ennis's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ennis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | AliciaAug 19 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 18 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 27 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 9 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormJun 5 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Ennis: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Ennis
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s33(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s30(2 EF3+)
- 1960s15(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1994 | F4 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 3 / 48 |
| May 26, 1976 | F4 | 25 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 26, 2015 | EF3 | 19 mi | 8.52 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Apr 15, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 16, 1965 | F3 | 20 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 26, 1961 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 17, 1998 | F2 | 25 mi | 3.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.43 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 29, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.01 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 13.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Oct 24, 2010 | EF2 | 10 mi | 6.51 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 17, 1996 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ennis
The Storm Prediction Center has 104 hail reports within 10 miles of Ennis since 1961, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 72 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 14, 2023. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ennis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bardwell Dam, TX, 5 miles south of Ennis at 461 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 95°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 36°F. October is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and July the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 40.4 inches over 55 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 103 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 39 nights a year. That 40.4 inches is more than at 214 of the 312 Texas stations used on this site (69%). Palmer, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Ferris, TX): 41.0 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and an August average high of 97°F against 95°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 36 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Feb | 61 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Mar | 68 | 46 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 75 | 54 | 3.7 | 5 |
| May | 82 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Jun | 90 | 72 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 94 | 74 | 1.9 | 3 |
| Aug | 95 | 74 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Sep | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Oct | 79 | 55 | 4.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 67 | 45 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 38 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Year | 76 | 55 | 40.4 | 55 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bardwell Dam, TX (461 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Ennis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ennis: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on April 25, 2011. January has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 745 Texas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 438 have had fewer than Ennis.
March 8, 2025: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ennis — 1 killed, 4 injured, $9,000 damage.
NWS: “A RV was blown over and rolled several times at the Texas Motorplex near Ennis. One man was killed and 4 others were injured.”
March 25, 2009: heavy rain event in Ennis — 2 injured, $8,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused slick roads and low visibility that attributed to a vehicle collison in Ennis. A 10 year-old boy and his mother were injured in the accident and the boy was taken to a Dallas hospital.”
May 4, 2000: thunderstorm wind in Ennis — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “The roof of an industrial building was blown off by strong thunderstorm wind. Large tree limbs were blown down and thirteen homes were damaged by falling trees.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Ellis County, which includes Ennis, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1989, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 fires, 6 severe storms, 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 17, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ellis County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Relatively Low for strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $46.9 million a year, the 35th highest of 254 Texas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $23.8 million (51%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Ennis
- Palmer, TX7 mi
- Rice, TX11 mi
- Waxahachie, TX14 mi
- Ferris, TX14 mi
- Scurry, TX17 mi
- Red Oak, TX18 mi
- Italy, TX19 mi
- Wilmer, TX19 mi
- Lancaster, TX21 mi
- Corsicana, TX21 mi
- Seagoville, TX21 mi
- Frost, TX22 mi
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