Jolly, Texas
8 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1954 and the latest in 1985. It stands in the Henrietta census division. It lies in ZIP code area 76310. The Survey maps it on the Jolly quadrangle. 172 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 984 feet above sea level.
Population over time
3 figuresJolly fell from 188 to 172 between 2000 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 188 | |
| 2010 | 172 | -16 (-9%) |
| 2020 | 172 | 0 (0%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
5 surveys from 8 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.
- 1954 USGS Wichita Falls quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1957 USGS Wichita Falls East quadrangle1:62500
- 1958 USGS Wichita Falls quadrangle1:250000
- 1972 USGS Jolly quadrangle1:24000
- 1985 USGS Wichita Falls quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
Fires near this place
147 since 2006Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 147 fires within 5 miles of Jolly between 2006 and 2020, burning about 5,661 acres in total. 9 started naturally. 9 were 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 | 68 |
| Debris and open burning | 35 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 17 |
| Natural | 9 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 9 |
| Smoking | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 2 |
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 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 10 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | MESQUITE RANCH FIRE |
| 4 September 2011 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | BODDY ROAD |
| 4 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | U.S. HWY. 287 S. MEDIAN FIRE |
| 30 September 2015 | Debris and open burning | 2.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | CB GRASS FIRE M/A DEAN |
| 22 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | U.S. HWY. 287 S. @ BROWN RD. FIRE |
| 2 September 2018 | Natural | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | ROCK SPRINGS FIRE |
| 2 September 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | REST AREA FIRE |
| 17 September 2008 | Debris and open burning | 15 acres | Texas A & M Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
1 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 1 working within 5 miles of Jolly: 1 producer. All of them still produce. What was taken out: Stone, Crushed/Broken. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palo Pinto Stone Company Operation | Stone, Crushed/Broken | Producer |
Storms near this place
48 since 1993Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Jolly in 48 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 34 hail, 10 thunderstorm wind, 3 flash flood, 1 tornado. The reports record 2 injuries. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | 2 hurt, $2,250,000 | Severe thunderstorm winds blew a train car off the tracks, which in turn caused the rest of the freight train to derail. In all, 30 cars and 2 engines were derailed. One train car smashed into two automobiles and a tractor trailer that were parked on a parallel highway. The 2 occupants of one of the automobiles were treated for minor injuries. Damage to the train and track was estimated at $2,000,000. |
| August 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | $50,000 | Severe winds blew the porch and roof off a house, knocked the windows out of another house, and caused major shingle and roof damage. Several barns in the area were also destroyed by the winds. |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | $2,500 | Power pole reported down on FM2393. A railroad crossing guard was also downed. |
| July 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | $2,000 | A car was blown off the road on Highway 287. |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | $250 | A four foot diameter tree was downed. |
| November 2025 | Hail | Jolly | - | A video of hailfall near the intersection of U.S. Highway 287 and Brown Road was shared on social media. |
| May 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | - | Power poles snapped along FM2393. Time is radar estimated. |
| June 2016 | Flash Flood | Jolly | - | US 287 S was impassable from Brown road to Klein road. |
| May 2015 | Hail | Jolly | - | No damage reported. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Jolly | - | No damage was reported. |
| May 2014 | Hail | Jolly | - | No damage was reported. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Jolly | - | The hail covered the roadway. Relayed via the Spotter Network. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Jolly | - | The hail report was relayed via the Spotter Network. |
| April 2009 | Hail | Jolly | - | The hail covered the ground. The hail report was relayed via the Spotter Network. |
| May 2007 | Hail | Jolly | - | Hail reported on HWY 287. |
| May 2006 | Hail | Jolly | - | Hail was reported covering the ground on Highway 87 near the Clay Wichita county line. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Jolly | - | At 1:20 pm CST, a county emergency management official reported that Texas Farm Road 2393 was closed due to high water 6 to 8 inches deep near a local creek, 4 miles south of Jolly, TX. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Jolly | - | At 11:15 am CST and 11:55 am CST, a local law enforcement official reported that U.S. Highway 287 was closed due to high water along Bennett Creek 1.5 miles and 4 miles southeast of Jolly, TX. At 1:20 pm CST, a county emergency management official reported that the southbound lane was still closed on U.S. Highway 287 due to the high water. |
| May 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Jolly | - | This brief tornado, described as a landspout by an experienced storm chaser, caused no damage. |
| May 2001 | Hail | Jolly | - | Hail was reported on Highway 287. |
| October 2001 | Hail | Jolly | - | Hail was reported on Highway 287. |
| April 1995 | Hail | Jolly | - | Severe thunderstorms near and just south of the Red River in North Texas produced three tornados, baseball-size hail, and damaging straight-line winds. The first two tornados occurred in Wilbarger County five miles south of Lockett and four miles west of Grayback. The storm then moved into Wichita County where the third tornado was reported on the Red River 10 miles west-northwest of Burkburnett. No damage was reported with any of the three touchdowns and all were rated as F0 tornados. In addition to these tornados, baseball-size hail was reported in Oklaunion in Wilbarger County, and severe thunderstorm winds downed trees and damaged two hay barns near Windthorst in Archer County. Two miles northeast of Oklaunion, in Elliot, hail as large as quarters was found on the ground a full 24-hours after the event. |
| April 1993 | Hail | Jolly | - | Severe thunderstorms developed in the western portions of north Texas during the late afternoon hours on the 3rd. A weak F0 tornado developed west of Chillicothe and traveled 1.5 miles east-northeast across open fields before dissipating with no reported damage. Dime- to quarter-size hail fell in several locations. |
| May 2020 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2020 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| March 2018 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2014 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2006 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2005 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| March 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| April 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 2000 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
| May 1993 | Hail | Jolly | - | no account filed |
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 Jolly | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q977660 | 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 1360364. 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.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
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.




