Berrien County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13019 · population 18,160 · 453 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 299 records for Berrien County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 220 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (166 records). The deadliest single record is the January 22, 2017 tornado: 2 deaths and $602,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1974, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Helene” on September 30, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 299on 220 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 214 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $240Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 13strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Berrien County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 166 since 1961. 49% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1961 fell in May and June. The rank column places the county among Georgia's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 166 | 118 | 1961-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | 105 of 159 |
| Drought | 38 | 38 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 98 of 159 |
| Hail | 27 | 21 | 1975-2026 | 0 | 0 | $37K | 142 of 159 |
| Floods | 25 | 13 | 2000-2024 | 0 | 0 | $138K | 95 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 13 | 13 | 1998-2024 | 0 | 0 | $195M | 111 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 13 | 13 | 1952-2023 | 2 | 14 | $34M | 110 of 159 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 126 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 4 | 4 | 2014-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 141 of 159 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1998-2003 | 0 | 0 | $227K | 111 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 2 | 2 | 2017-2026 | 0 | 0 | $9.5M | 137 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2011-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 119 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 2 | 2009-2021 | 0 | 0 | – | 110 of 159 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Berrien County had?
NOAA records 13 tornadoes in Berrien County from 1952 to 2023, the strongest rated EF3, with 2 deaths and 14 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 14 tornadoes whose track touched Berrien County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 13: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 12 people, 2 of them in Berrien County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 02:29, as SPC files it | Nashville | EF3 | 24.66 mi | 11 |
| 1974-04-08 17:15, as SPC files it | Baconton to Enigma | F1 | 92.6 mi | 1 |
| 1952-05-11 06:20, as SPC files it | Alapaha | F3 | 4.3 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Berrien County (13)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-06-14 | Weber, Berrien County | EF0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-04-08 | Ray City, Berrien County | EF0 1.75 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $57K |
| 2017-01-22 | New Lois, Berrien County | EF3 7.42 mi x 700 yd | 2 | 0 | $602K |
| 1994-06-25 | Nashville, Berrien County | F0 0.7 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 1991-07-25 | Berrien County | F1 0.7 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1980-04-04 | Berrien County | F1 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1975-01-25 | Berrien County | F1 10.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-08 | Berrien County | F1 15.8 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 4 | $250K step |
| 1973-12-30 | Berrien County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1968-03-12 | Berrien County | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1962-06-08 | Berrien County | F1 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1959-06-30 | Berrien County | F1 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1952-05-11 | Berrien County | F3 4.3 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 10 | $2.5M step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Berrien County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 17, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindWeber, Berrien County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindNashville, Berrien County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-22 | Thunderstorm WindCottle, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindAlapaha, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-18 | Thunderstorm WindEnigma, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-13 | Thunderstorm WindCottle, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindEnigma, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindNashvlle-Berrien Airport, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindNashville, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindGladys, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | HailAlapaha, Berrien County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtBerrien County · forecast zone Berrien | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoNew Lois, Berrien County The EF3 tornado from northeast Brooks and Cook counties progressed into Berrien County where it completely removed the second story of a wood frame home on South Coffee Road. Just up the road, a well-strapped double wide home was completely removed and tossed into nearby trees and hedges. The last of the EF3 damage ... | EF3 7.42 mi x 700 yd | 2 | 0 | $602K |
| 1952-05-11 | TornadoBerrien County | F3 4.3 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 10 | $2.5M step |
| 1974-04-08 | TornadoBerrien County | F1 15.8 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 4 | $250K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoNew Lois, Berrien County | EF3 7.42 mi x 700 yd | 2 | 0 | $602K |
| 2009-07-02 | Thunderstorm WindNashville, Berrien County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $413K |
| 2024-05-27 | Thunderstorm WindGladys, Berrien County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $188K |
| 2020-04-08 | TornadoRay City, Berrien County | EF0 1.75 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $57K |
| 2023-08-25 | Thunderstorm WindNashville, Berrien County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 1994-06-25 | TornadoNashville, Berrien County | F0 0.7 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2019-03-03 | Thunderstorm WindEnigma, Berrien County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2025-06-19 | Thunderstorm WindRay City, Berrien County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 11, 1952 (tornado, Berrien County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Berrien County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 20 | 61 | 67 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 28 | 9 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 8 | 15 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
49% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1961 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 14 · Feb 13 · Mar 37 · Apr 32 · May 39 · Jun 70 · Jul 30 · Aug 26 · Sep 13 · Oct 4 · Nov 10 · Dec 11 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Berrien County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Berrien County: 12 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and tropical storm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-30 | DR-4830 | Hurricane | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3616 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-09-24 | DR-4821 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Debby |
| 2024-08-05 | EM-3607 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Debby |
| 2023-09-07 | DR-4738 | Hurricane | Hurricane Idalia |
| 2020-03-29 | DR-4501 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3464 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2018-10-14 | DR-4400 | Hurricane | Hurricane Michael |
| 2018-10-10 | EM-3406 | Hurricane | Hurricane Michael |
| 2017-09-15 | DR-4338 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2017-09-08 | EM-3387 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2017-01-26 | DR-4297 | Tornado | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2009-04-23 | DR-1833 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3218 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-09-24 | DR-1560 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Frances |
| 1998-03-11 | DR-1209 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1993-03-15 | EM-3097 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm |
| 1991-03-15 | DR-897 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1977-07-20 | EM-3044 | Drought | Drought |
| 1974-04-05 | DR-425 | Tornado | Tornadoes |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
How many floods has Berrien County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 25 flood or flash flood records for Berrien County from 2000 to 2024, on 13 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Berrien County ranks 2436th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | 2024-09-26 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Idalia | 2023-08-30 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Irma | 2017-09-10 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $156,000 on 8 claims filed in Berrien County; the most in one year was 3 in 2024. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2009: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2024: 3; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Berrien County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Berrien County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.6 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane | Relatively Moderate | $3.3M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $228K | 71 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Low | $197K | 26 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $688K | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $172K | 4.6 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $177K | 1.3 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $41K | once in about 1,379 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Berrien County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in GeorgiaEvery Georgia tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind in GeorgiaThe state's severe thunderstorm wind events, by county, year and month
- The Georgia recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Berrien CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Berrien County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis