Colquitt County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13071 · population 45,835 · 547 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 420 records for Colquitt County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 300 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (221 records). The deadliest single record is the October 1, 1989 tornado: 2 deaths and 12 injuries. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1977, 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
- 420on 300 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 836 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $139Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 38strongest EF2
- 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 Colquitt County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 221 since 1955. 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 | 221 | 164 | 1955-2026 | 2 | 8 | $2.9M | 78 of 159 |
| Hail | 59 | 40 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 111 of 159 |
| Drought | 42 | 42 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 110 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 38 | 36 | 1951-2025 | 3 | 27 | $18M | 13 of 159 |
| Floods | 17 | 15 | 1998-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | 102 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 14 | 14 | 2002-2024 | 2 | 0 | $105M | 120 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 7 | 7 | 1999-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 of 159 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 1999-2022 | 1 | 1 | $449K | 92 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 5 | 4 | 2014-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 147 of 159 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 136 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 2 | 2012-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 129 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 3 | 2017-2026 | 0 | 0 | $9.5M | 132 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 0 | $7K | 140 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 Colquitt County had?
NOAA records 38 tornadoes in Colquitt County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated EF2, with 3 deaths and 27 injuries recorded in the county. That is 13th of 159 Georgia counties and 235th 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 41 tornadoes whose track touched Colquitt County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 38: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 3 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-10-01 10:30, as SPC files it | Funston | F2 | 10 mi | 2 |
| 2000-02-14 00:39, as SPC files it | Omega | F2 | 6 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Colquitt County (38)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-07 | Center Hill, Colquitt County | EF1 0.85 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2024-09-25 | Cool Springs, Colquitt County | EFU 0.18 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-12-15 | Ticknor, Colquitt County | EF2 1.96 mi x 280 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2022-11-30 | Funston, Colquitt County | EFU 0.01 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-11-30 | Hamilton Elementary School, Colquitt County | EF0 0.04 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2022-04-06 | New Elm, Colquitt County | EFU 7.14 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-12-30 | Spence Field, Colquitt County | EF1 3.82 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $109K |
| 2020-04-23 | Center Hill, Colquitt County | EF1 23.25 mi x 650 yd | 0 | 0 | $114K |
| 2019-04-14 | Autreyville, Colquitt County | EF1 5.04 mi x 180 yd | 0 | 0 | $115K |
| 2015-11-01 | Hamilton Elementary School, Colquitt County | EF0 0.03 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2012-02-24 | Crosland, Colquitt County | EF0 3.75 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $26K |
| 2011-03-09 | Doerun, Colquitt County | EF0 0.4 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2009-03-31 | Norman Park, Colquitt County | EF0 0.06 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-01-13 | Norman Park, Colquitt County | F1 9.6 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.9M |
| 2005-12-28 | Moultrie, Colquitt County | F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-03-22 | Hartsfield, Colquitt County | F1 3.7 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $189K |
| 2003-07-01 | Hartsfield, Colquitt County | F0 3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2000-02-14 | Crosland, Colquitt County | F2 1 mi x 200 yd | 1 | 0 | $857K |
| 2000-02-14 | Moultrie, Colquitt County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $129K |
| 1998-09-29 | Autreyville, Colquitt County | F1 2 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 1 | $996K |
| 1996-03-06 | Moultrie, Colquitt County | F0 4 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $38K |
| 1993-05-13 | Bay To, Colquitt County | F0 8 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 1989-10-01 | Colquitt County | F2 10 mi x 100 yd | 2 | 12 | $2.5M step |
| 1988-05-10 | Colquitt County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1984-04-22 | Colquitt County | F1 1 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1983-12-05 | Colquitt County | F1 10 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 3 | $30 step |
| 1978-04-18 | Colquitt County | F1 3.8 mi x 77 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1976-08-13 | Colquitt County | F1 0.8 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-03-03 | Colquitt County | F1 4.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-02-07 | Colquitt County | F1 13.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1967-05-07 | Colquitt County | F1 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1966-02-28 | Colquitt County | F1 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1964-04-27 | Colquitt County | F1 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1958-04-06 | Colquitt County | F1 4.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1957-06-05 | Colquitt County | F0 2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1957-04-05 | Colquitt County | F0 13.7 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1952-01-22 | Colquitt County | F2 6.8 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1951-05-23 | Colquitt County | F2 9.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K 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 Colquitt County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 27, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($25,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
A downburst damaged the Colquitt County Livestock barn.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1274003)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindMurphy, Colquitt County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-01 | DroughtColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-03 | HailSouth Moultrie, Colquitt County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-03 | HailSpence Field, Colquitt County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindAutreyville, Colquitt County | 60 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindSpence Field, Colquitt County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindMoultrie, Colquitt County | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindNorman Park, Colquitt County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-10-01 | TornadoColquitt County | F2 10 mi x 100 yd | 2 | 12 | $2.5M step |
| 2020-07-03 | LightningSouth Moultrie, Colquitt County A 9-year-old girl was killed by a lightning strike in Moultrie while walking on a trail on South Main Street with her mother and 15 year old sister. The sister was injured. The family took cover under a shelter when lightning struck a nearby tree. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-09-26 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Colquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt One man died when a tree fell into the road in front of him and his car crashed into it. City of Moultrie roads closed due to fallen trees and/or flooding include 4th Ave. NE at Clay St., 11th St. SW, 12th Ave. SW and 13th St. SW. | 1 | 0 | $99M | |
| 2024-08-05 | Tropical StormColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt A tree fell on a home, resulting in a fatality of a 19 year old male. | 1 | 0 | $188K | |
| 2011-04-05 | Thunderstorm WindMoultrie, Colquitt County A large oak tree was blown down into the middle of a road. A car ran into it and the driver was killed. The monetary damage figure provided is a rough estimate. | 55 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $33K |
| 2002-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindMoultrie, Colquitt County An elderly man was killed when a pine tree snapped and fell on the cab of his truck while driving during a severe thunderstorm. Reported by the Courier Herald. | 1 | 0 | $16K | |
| 2000-02-14 | TornadoCrosland, Colquitt County A strong tornado tore through extreme northeast Colquitt County near Crosland toppling trees and power lines before it moved into extreme southwest Tift County. Several mobile homes were damaged. One woman was killed in a mobile home just northeast of Crosland when a large tree and another mobile home were blown ... | F2 1 mi x 200 yd | 1 | 0 | $857K |
| 1952-01-22 | TornadoColquitt County | F2 6.8 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 8 | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Colquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 1 | 0 | $99M | |
| 2006-01-13 | TornadoNorman Park, Colquitt County | F1 9.6 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.9M |
| 2005-07-11 | Flash FloodCountywide, Colquitt County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1998-03-08 | FloodColquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2005-07-09 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Colquitt County · forecast zone Colquitt | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2022-12-15 | TornadoTicknor, Colquitt County | EF2 1.96 mi x 280 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 1998-09-29 | TornadoAutreyville, Colquitt County | F1 2 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 1 | $996K |
| 1994-08-05 | Thunderstorm WindMoultrie, Colquitt County | 0 | 0 | $995K |
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: October 1, 1989 (tornado, Colquitt County, 2 killed).
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 Colquitt 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 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 14 | 33 | 38 | 51 | 65 |
| Hail | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 16 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 31 | 10 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 1 | 5 | 4 | 7 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
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 Colquitt County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 28 · Mar 53 · Apr 49 · May 51 · Jun 63 · Jul 43 · Aug 39 · Sep 18 · Oct 8 · Nov 18 · Dec 22 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Colquitt County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Colquitt County: 12 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (8) and severe storm (4).
| 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 |
| 2000-02-15 | DR-1315 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms/Tornados |
| 1998-03-11 | DR-1209 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1994-10-19 | DR-1042 | Severe Storm | Heavy Rains, Tornados, Flooding, High Winds |
| 1993-03-15 | EM-3097 | Snowstorm | Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm |
| 1977-07-20 | EM-3044 | Drought | Drought |
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 Colquitt County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 17 flood or flash flood records for Colquitt County from 1998 to 2024, on 15 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Colquitt County ranks 1530th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Helene | 2024-09-26 | 1 | 1 |
| Hurricane Debby | 2024-08-05 | 1 | 1 |
| Hurricane Idalia | 2023-08-30 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Michael | 2018-10-10 | 1 | 0 |
| Hurricane Irma | 2017-09-10 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.3 million on 64 claims filed in Colquitt County; the most in one year was 15 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1981: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 2 · 1985: 5 · 1986: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1993: 4 · 1994: 1 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 1 · 2005: 15 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 7 · 2010: 1 · 2013: 5 · 2014: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2025: 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 Colquitt County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Colquitt County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $19.9 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 | $6.1M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.7M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $534K | 72 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $483K | 29 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.4M | 1.7 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $541K | 1.6 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $112K | once in about 1,663 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $284K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Colquitt 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 Colquitt CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Colquitt County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis