Ellsworth County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Kansas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Ellsworth County is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Ellsworth County is lower than Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #51
| Ellsworth County | 0.01 |
| Kansas | 0.05 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Ellsworth County | 0.0000 |
| Kansas | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #41
| Ellsworth County | 238.93 |
| Kansas | 252.53 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 18,571 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Ellsworth County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 28 | Cold: | 38 | Dense Fog: | 15 | Drought: | 17 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 756 | Hail: | 10,942 | Heat: | 44 | Heavy Snow: | 111 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 49 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 160 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 5,724 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 167 | Winter Weather: | 90 |
| Other: | 428 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Ellsworth County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Ellsworth County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Ellsworth County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 70 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Ellsworth County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 8.3 | 1972-04-30 | 2 | 38°35'N / 98°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ellsworth | |
| 8.8 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°25'W | 38°38'N / 98°07'W | 16.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 12.8 | 1954-04-25 | 2 | 38°37'N / 98°25'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ellsworth | |||
| 16.0 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°30'N / 98°11'W | 38°31'N / 97°54'W | 12.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 16.1 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°31'N / 98°28'W | 38°36'N / 98°25'W | 6.10 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 17.6 | 1971-06-09 | 2 | 38°28'N / 98°24'W | 38°30'N / 98°21'W | 3.60 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 18.1 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°29'N / 98°27'W | 38°32'N / 98°25'W | 6.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Rice |
| 19.1 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°33'W | 38°35'N / 98°28'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 20.0 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°31'N / 98°31'W | 38°31'N / 98°28'W | 2.30 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 20.3 | 1964-05-05 | 2 | 38°34'N / 98°36'W | 38°43'N / 98°33'W | 10.60 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 21.2 | 1964-04-22 | 3 | 38°16'N / 98°38'W | 38°42'N / 98°20'W | 34.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton |
| 21.8 | 1964-06-10 | 2 | 38°31'N / 98°32'W | 0.50 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 22.6 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 38°21'N / 98°01'W | 38°37'N / 97°46'W | 22.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Rice |
| 22.7 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°27'N / 98°33'W | 38°29'N / 98°27'W | 4.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Barton |
| 23.9 | 1973-09-25 | 2 | 38°32'N / 97°49'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 24.2 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 38°51'N / 98°37'W | 39°00'N / 98°29'W | 12.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Russell |
| 25.8 | 1975-05-27 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°38'W | 0.50 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 25.9 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°21'N / 98°34'W | 38°31'N / 98°31'W | 11.70 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 26.9 | 1952-08-07 | 3 | 39°00'N / 98°31'W | 39°03'N / 98°27'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell |
| 29.6 | 1950-06-08 | 4 | 38°20'N / 97°56'W | 38°20'N / 97°55'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rice | ||
| 31.1 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 39°00'N / 98°29'W | 39°13'N / 98°25'W | 15.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 31.1 | 1970-05-08 | 2 | 39°02'N / 97°58'W | 39°09'N / 97°52'W | 9.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 31.2 | 1955-06-04 | 3 | 38°15'N / 98°25'W | 38°17'N / 98°19'W | 5.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 31.8 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 38°31'N / 98°46'W | 38°42'N / 98°48'W | 12.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 31.8 | 1969-06-21 | 3 | 38°49'N / 97°38'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 60 | 25.0M | 0 | Saline | |
| 32.3 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 38°37'N / 97°46'W | 38°58'N / 97°28'W | 29.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Saline |
| 32.5 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 38°42'N / 98°48'W | 38°52'N / 98°48'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 32.8 | 2001-04-21 | 4 | 38°30'N / 98°47'W | 38°34'N / 98°46'W | 5.00 Miles | 660 Yards | 1 | 28 | 43.0M | 0 | Barton |
| Brief Description: Initial touchdown occurred 1 mile southwest of Hoisington. The tornado rapidly achieved F3 intensity as it entered the west side of town. Moving northeast around 20 mph, the tornado intensified to F4 within 2-3 minutes. While crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction. Damage summary: 182 homes destroyed, 52 homes with major damage, 180 homes with minor to moderate damage, 12 businesses destroyed, tore the roof off the hospital, and severed power to most (if not all) areas on the northwest and north sides of town. As the tornado exited through the north side of town it weakened rapidly, inflicting F1-F2 damage as it approached Deception Creek which runs in a southeast to northwest manner 3 miles northeast of town. Once the tornado crossed the creek, it suddenly turned toward the northwest where it damaged two farmsteads shortly before dissipating. One man, 69 years of age, was killed when a minivan fell on him. There were 28 injuries of which 3 were critical. M69PH | |||||||||||
| 33.3 | 1962-06-24 | 2 | 38°51'N / 97°37'W | 0.50 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Saline | |
| 33.8 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°31'N / 97°54'W | 38°29'N / 97°22'W | 30.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 35.0 | 1950-06-08 | 4 | 38°20'N / 97°55'W | 38°20'N / 97°36'W | 17.10 Miles | 700 Yards | 1 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 35.7 | 1956-07-15 | 3 | 39°12'N / 98°06'W | 39°12'N / 97°58'W | 7.10 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lincoln |
| 36.2 | 1974-08-30 | 2 | 38°44'N / 98°55'W | 38°46'N / 98°50'W | 4.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 36.8 | 2008-06-11 | 3 | 38°45'N / 97°40'W | 38°51'N / 97°24'W | 16.00 Miles | 225 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.6M | 0K | Saline |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Widespread damage was noted to several homes, businesses, and trees along the tornadoes path. One cabinet making business had a 10000 square foot section of roof removed, with a total of 20000 square feet of damage to the structure as a sprinkler main broke pouring water onto the factory floor. Several homes sustained damage due to garage doors collapsing in the wind and ultimately lifting the roofs off of the homes. One home sustained slightly more damage than the rest, as two exterior walls were also blown out. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Supercell thunderstorms erupted along a strong cold front across Central Kansas. The supercell storms produced destructive hail and damaging winds, along with tornadoes across Central, Kansas. A few strong tornadoes touched down just south of Salina, Kansas. The supercells would continue to track to the northeast and eventually produce the tornadoes that would hit Chapman, Kansas and Manhattan, Kansas. | |||||||||||
| 37.9 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 39°13'N / 98°25'W | 39°14'N / 98°25'W | 1.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell |
| 38.1 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 38°22'N / 98°46'W | 0.60 Mile | 147 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 38.2 | 1966-08-06 | 2 | 38°24'N / 98°48'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton | |
| 38.4 | 1992-06-15 | 4 | 38°22'N / 97°40'W | 38°27'N / 97°32'W | 6.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 10 | 25.0M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 38.5 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 38°09'N / 98°06'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 38.7 | 1960-04-13 | 2 | 38°54'N / 97°32'W | 1.00 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Saline | |
| 39.1 | 1955-04-27 | 2 | 38°23'N / 97°37'W | 38°29'N / 97°31'W | 8.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 40.1 | 1960-11-27 | 2 | 38°23'N / 97°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 42.1 | 1950-05-04 | 4 | 38°16'N / 98°55'W | 38°27'N / 98°47'W | 14.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Pawnee |
| 43.4 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 38°33'N / 97°30'W | 38°33'N / 97°21'W | 7.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 44.1 | 1954-05-01 | 2 | 38°05'N / 98°00'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Reno | |
| 44.3 | 1971-06-13 | 2 | 38°10'N / 97°45'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson | |
| 44.5 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 39°04'N / 97°36'W | 39°13'N / 97°36'W | 11.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 5 | 0K | 0K | Ottawa |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down near the intersection of Granite Rd and 190th Rd approximately 3 miles south of the Ottawa State Fishing Lake. It lifted approximately 11 miles north of it's touchdown point, at Rifle Rd between 200th and 210th Rds. 38 structures were destroyed or damaged; including homes, mobile homes, cabins, outbuildings, and small cottages. A mobile home that was anchored to the ground was totally destroyed by the tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An upper level low pressure system remained relatively stationary over the Central Plains Saturday through Monday, May 5th through May 7th. Severe weather swept across Northeast Kansas during the late evening hours the 5th, and the early morning of the 6th. Hail, strong winds, and tornadoes were all observed over the course of the evening. An F2 tornado that ripped across Ottawa County killed one woman, and injured one other when their mobile home was demolished. At least three other people were confirmed to have been injured during the tornado. NWS Storm Surveys the following day confirmed that damage was created by both tornadoes and strong winds across portions of northeast Kansas, but 6 tornadoes were confirmed. Cloud county qualified for FEMA funds. | |||||||||||
| 44.6 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 38°06'N / 97°51'W | 38°09'N / 97°49'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno |
| 45.0 | 1962-05-24 | 3 | 38°03'N / 98°11'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 45.0 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 38°04'N / 98°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harper | |
| 45.4 | 1955-06-04 | 3 | 38°04'N / 98°36'W | 38°10'N / 98°35'W | 6.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Stafford |
| 45.7 | 1992-06-15 | 3 | 39°17'N / 97°50'W | 39°17'N / 97°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ottawa |
| 45.7 | 1991-03-26 | 4 | 37°58'N / 98°03'W | 38°09'N / 97°57'W | 13.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25.0M | 0 | Reno |
| 46.1 | 1964-08-31 | 2 | 38°55'N / 99°01'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell | |||
| 46.3 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 39°20'N / 98°20'W | 39°24'N / 98°16'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell |
| 46.8 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°09'N / 97°44'W | 38°08'N / 97°42'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Reno |
| 47.0 | 1954-08-05 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°57'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 47.1 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 39°23'N / 98°14'W | 2.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell | |
| 47.4 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°08'N / 97°42'W | 38°10'N / 97°40'W | 3.00 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harvey |
| 47.5 | 1950-05-08 | 2 | 39°14'N / 98°57'W | 39°14'N / 98°35'W | 19.60 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Osborne |
| 47.9 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°10'N / 97°40'W | 38°14'N / 97°31'W | 10.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 47.9 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 38°58'N / 97°28'W | 39°05'N / 97°22'W | 9.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 2 | 25.0M | 0 | Ottawa |
| 48.2 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 37°57'N / 98°04'W | 38°09'N / 97°42'W | 24.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Reno |
| 48.3 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 39°24'N / 98°12'W | 2.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mitchell | |
| 48.5 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 38°09'N / 97°42'W | 38°22'N / 97°19'W | 25.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 48.5 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 38°17'N / 97°29'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 48.5 | 1960-05-24 | 2 | 38°47'N / 99°06'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ellis | |
| 49.4 | 1992-06-15 | 3 | 39°25'N / 98°12'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell | |
| 49.6 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 38°18'N / 98°58'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Barton | |
| 49.9 | 1950-05-08 | 2 | 39°21'N / 98°29'W | 39°28'N / 98°18'W | 12.60 Miles | 660 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.