Bleckley County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13023 · population 12,537 · 216 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 216 records for Bleckley County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 192 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (80 records). The deadliest single record is the July 23, 2010 heat, filed for the forecast zone Bleckley, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1966, 14 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm” on January 24, 2026.
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
- 216on 192 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 228 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $237Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 19strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 16latest 2026
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 Bleckley County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 80 since 1962. 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 | 80 | 74 | 1962-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | 59 of 159 |
| Drought | 28 | 28 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | 47 of 159 |
| Hail | 23 | 21 | 1972-2015 | 0 | 0 | $9K | 84 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 19 | 16 | 1958-2022 | 0 | 28 | $6.1M | 10 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 17 | 15 | 2002-2024 | 0 | 0 | $121K | 27 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | $221M | 22 of 159 |
| Heat | 12 | 12 | 1999-2012 | 2 | 0 | – | 19 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 8 | 8 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 74 of 159 |
| Floods | 7 | 6 | 1997-2014 | 0 | 0 | $239K | 99 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 2001-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 72 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 2 | 1998-2004 | 0 | 0 | $174K | 100 of 159 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2002-2003 | 0 | 0 | $9K | 89 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 2 | 2 | 2002-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 55 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 Bleckley County had?
NOAA records 19 tornadoes in Bleckley County from 1958 to 2022, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 28 injuries recorded in the county. That is 10th of 159 Georgia counties and 149th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 20 tornadoes whose track touched Bleckley County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 19: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Bleckley County (19)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-06 | Empire, Bleckley County | EF1 6.88 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | Allentown, Bleckley County | EF0 1.59 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | Rebie, Bleckley County | EF1 0.35 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | Frazier, Bleckley County | EF1 2 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-22 | Cary, Bleckley County | EF0 0.56 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2017-01-22 | Coley, Bleckley County | EF1 2.24 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2017-01-21 | Five Points, Bleckley County | EF1 4.32 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2007-03-01 | Cary, Bleckley County | EF0 1.38 mi x 448 yd | 0 | 0 | $356K |
| 1992-11-12 | Bleckley County | F1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-05-01 | Bleckley County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1974-06-13 | Bleckley County | F1 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1972-03-16 | Bleckley County | F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 12 | $250K step |
| 1972-01-13 | Bleckley County | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-01-15 | Bleckley County | F2 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-04-23 | Bleckley County | F1 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1961-06-26 | Bleckley County | F2 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-03-31 | Bleckley County | F1 0.8 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1961-01-19 | Bleckley County | F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1958-01-24 | Bleckley County | F2 1.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 16 | $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.
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 Bleckley County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 22, 2017 tornado ($12,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A National Weather Service survey team found that a brief EF0 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 80 MPH and a maximum path width of 50 yards began along Dillard Cary Road and travelled around a half mile northeast snapping or uprooting several trees before ending along Willis Howell Road. [01/21/17: Tornado #4, County #1/1, EF0, Bleckley, 2017:028].
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 673742)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtBleckley County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtBleckley County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormBleckley County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-13 | DroughtBleckley County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-10 | Winter StormBleckley County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-04-06 | TornadoEmpire, Bleckley County | EF1 6.88 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | TornadoAllentown, Bleckley County | EF0 1.59 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoRebie, Bleckley County | EF1 0.35 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoFrazier, Bleckley County | EF1 2 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoCary, Bleckley County | EF0 0.56 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoColey, Bleckley County | EF1 2.24 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2017-01-21 | TornadoFive Points, Bleckley County | EF1 4.32 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-23 | HeatBleckley County and Dodge County · forecast zone Bleckley The Macon Telegraph reported that an elderly couple passed away at their home of 62-years as the result of heat exposure or heat exhaustion. The 90-year old male and 83-year old female couple left their home around 1030 am EDT Friday, 07/23/10, to go outside to a wooded area behind their home, approximately 50 yards ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1958-01-24 | TornadoBleckley County | F2 1.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 16 | $250K step |
| 1972-03-16 | TornadoBleckley County | F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 12 | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-07 | Frost/FreezeBleckley County and Dodge County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | $221M | |
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtBleckley County and Dodge County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | |
| 2000-12-16 | Thunderstorm WindCochran, Bleckley County | 0 | 0 | $857K | |
| 2003-05-01 | Thunderstorm WindCary, Bleckley County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $128K |
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoCary, Bleckley County | EF0 0.56 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
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 $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: January 24, 1958 (tornado, Bleckley County); March 16, 1972 (tornado, Bleckley County); November 12, 1992 (tornado, Bleckley 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 Bleckley 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 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 21 | 11 | 10 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 3 | 17 | 5 | 3 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 11 | 4 | 2 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 2 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Bleckley County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 27 · Feb 10 · Mar 21 · Apr 23 · May 28 · Jun 26 · Jul 21 · Aug 18 · Sep 14 · Oct 12 · Nov 6 · Dec 10 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Bleckley County
FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Bleckley County: 7 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (7) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3642 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2024-09-30 | DR-4830 | Hurricane | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3616 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Helene |
| 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 |
| 2014-02-11 | EM-3368 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 1977-07-20 | EM-3044 | Drought | Drought |
| 1966-03-14 | DR-214 | Flood | Flooding |
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 Bleckley County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 7 flood or flash flood records for Bleckley County from 1997 to 2014, on 6 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Bleckley County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $6,203 on 1 claim filed in Bleckley County; the most in one year was 1 in 2020. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2020: 1; 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 Bleckley County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bleckley County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 7.7 modeled event-days a year |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $631K | 44 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.8M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $641K | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $351K | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $71K | 65 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $135K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Very Low | $211K | once in about 560 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Bleckley 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 Bleckley CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Bleckley County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis