Ellis, Kansas
14 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1893 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Ellis City. It lies in ZIP code area 67637. The Survey maps it on the Ellis quadrangle. 1,958 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,119 feet above sea level.
On record in Ellis
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 5 records
Walter P. Chrysler Houselisted 1972
Ellis Congregational Churchlisted 2000
Memorial City Halllisted 2007
Merchants Bank of Ellislisted 2002
Papes Barnlisted 2015
Population over time
2 figuresEllis fell from 2,062 to 1,958 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 2,062 | |
| 2020 | 1,958 | -104 (-5%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
6 surveys from 14 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1893 USGS Ellis quadrangle1:125000, 4 printings
- 1955 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000
- 1958 USGS Great Bend quadrangle1:250000, 2 printings
- 1961 USGS Ellis quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1985 USGS Hays quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
14 since 2015Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 14 fires within 5 miles of Ellis between 2015 and 2020, burning about 44 acres in total. 1 started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 5 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 1 |
| Natural | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 September 2017 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Ellis County | 1700019 |
| 31 August 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 241 |
| 27 August 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 1500021 |
| 24 August 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | not named |
| 12 July 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1.0 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 201 |
| 12 June 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | under an acre | Ellis County | 1700014 |
| 8 May 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Ellis County | 1700009 |
| 4 April 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Kansas Forest Service | 15-0054 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Storms near this place
60 of 164 shownRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Ellis in 164 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 78 hail, 47 thunderstorm wind, 15 heavy rain, 13 tornado. The reports record 1 injury. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF1) | Ellis | 1 hurt | This tornado produced EF1 damage to outbuildings, a storage tank, power poles and houses in Ellis. A female was injured when she went out to get her horse and was hit by flying debris from the tornado. |
| June 2003 | Hail | Ellis | $1,500,000 | no account filed |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $500,000 | The city manager reported multiple buildings destroyed and numerous buildings with partial damage. Forty percent of the headstones in the cemetery were turned over by the high wind. Also, big trees were snapped. |
| April 2001 | Tornado (F2) | Ellis | $150,000 | A tornado moved in from Trego county at 2209 and moved into Rooks county at 2238. It took out 50 power poles in Ellis county and damaged 13 farms. Roofs were removed on several homes and there was extensive damage done to several outbuildings and trailers. Two semis were overturned on I-70 west of Ellis causing several minor injuries. Reports of the infamous "roar" were noted in the Ellis community. |
| May 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $40,000 | A silo was destroyed and power lines down. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $30,000 | Two semis overturned on I70 |
| July 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $15,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | $1,500 | A roof was blown off a medium sized utility building and a power pole was snapped in half. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A public weather station KKSELLIS46 recorded a 68 mph wind gust. |
| May 2025 | Hail | Ellis | - | Public report of 1.75 inch hail. |
| August 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Thunderstorm wind gusts in Ellis. |
| August 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A wind gust was estimated to be around 60 MPH. |
| May 2021 | Hail | Ellis | - | A public report relayed by the television media. |
| July 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. |
| May 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A tree was blown down by the high wind. |
| May 2019 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 3.76 was reported. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be at least 60 MPH. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A power pole was blown down by the high wind. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Large branches and a fence were blown down by winds estimated to be 70 MPH. |
| August 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 to 70 MPH. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Eight inch diameter tree branches were broken and a shed was blown down. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | There was significant damage done to a school roof and power lines were blown down. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Power lines were blown down. |
| July 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be at least 60 MPH. |
| May 2018 | Flood | Ellis | - | Street flooding was reported. |
| July 2018 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 2.68 inches was measured. |
| September 2017 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 4.75 inches fell during the previous 24 hours. |
| April 2016 | Flood | Ellis | - | Water was covering several roads in the Ellis area with a few washed out. |
| June 2016 | Flash Flood | Ellis | - | Water from the Big Creek Basin flowed over some of the local roads and as much as 18 inches deep. |
| May 2016 | Tornado (EF0) | Ellis | - | This was a brief and apparently weak tornado. |
| September 2016 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 5.56 inches was observed. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Ellis | - | Water was over the roads at many locations. |
| June 2014 | Flash Flood | Ellis | - | Heavy rain flooded most streets in Ellis and some county roads outside of town. |
| June 2014 | Flood | Ellis | - | Flooding was observed northwest of Ellis near I70. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 4.27 inches was reported. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 4.50 inches was reported. |
| June 2014 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Rainfall of 4.52 inches was reported. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A small shop had some roof damage and also part of a brick wall. Large trees were blown down in town. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 MPH. |
| August 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. |
| May 2013 | Tornado (EF1) | Ellis | - | This small tornado damaged some power poles and trees. |
| April 2013 | Hail | Ellis | - | Hail pea to dime sized was covering the ground. |
| June 2013 | Heavy Rain | Ellis | - | Heavy rainfall of 3 inches was reported near the intersection of 160th and Buckeye roads. |
| August 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A porch roof was blown off and another roof was peeled back on a trailer house. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A tree was uprooted and several large tree limbs were blown down. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. Hail also fell but the size was never determined. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | There were several semi trucks blown over on Interstate 70 from winds of at least 60 MPH. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 60 MPH. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | A semi was blown off Interstate 70. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Large tree limbs were broken, a power pole was blown down and the roof was torn off a tin building. |
| June 2010 | Flood | Ellis | - | Law enforcement reported major street flooding in Ellis. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 65 mph. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 mph. |
| June 2010 | Hail | Ellis | - | The hail started out as golfball sized then became quarter sized. All window in the farm house were broken out. Several wheat fields in the area were destroyed. |
| June 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Trees were blown down at several farms in northwest Ellis county. |
| May 2010 | Tornado (EF0) | Ellis | - | The tornado passed across pasture land and did not strike anything. |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ellis | - | Winds were estimated to be 70 mph. |
| August 2009 | Hail | Ellis | - | The majority of the hail ranged from pea to nickel sized. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Ellis | - | This tornado moved north and then northwest. No damage was reported. |
| May 2008 | Tornado (EF0) | Ellis | - | This was a brief tornado. |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Ellis | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2901463 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 475174. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.





