Crisp County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13081 · population 20,073 · 273 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 304 records for Crisp County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 250 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (122 records). The deadliest single record is the July 22, 2003 thunderstorm wind: 1 death. FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1977, 15 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
- 304on 250 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 18 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $25Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 11strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 17latest 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 Crisp County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 122 since 1956. 45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. 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 | 122 | 106 | 1956-2025 | 1 | 3 | $1.7M | 50 of 159 |
| Hail | 43 | 40 | 1959-2025 | 0 | 0 | $325K | 55 of 159 |
| Drought | 29 | 29 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $18M | 73 of 159 |
| Floods | 29 | 21 | 1997-2020 | 0 | 0 | $2.2M | 23 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 19 | 17 | 2002-2024 | 0 | 0 | $253K | 35 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 of 159 |
| Heat | 11 | 11 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 36 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 11 | 10 | 1958-2024 | 0 | 5 | $1.5M | 74 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 7 | 7 | 1998-2013 | 0 | 0 | $582K | 52 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 7 | 7 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | $38K | 89 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 5 | 1998-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 14 of 159 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 2006-2013 | 0 | 0 | $362K | 67 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 3 | 2001-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 57 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 Crisp County had?
NOAA records 11 tornadoes in Crisp County from 1958 to 2024, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 5 injuries recorded in the county. That is 74th of 159 Georgia 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 14 tornadoes whose track touched Crisp County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 11: 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.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-04-23 18:25, as SPC files it | Vienna | F3 | 13.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Crisp County (11)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-03 | Marshall, Crisp County | EF1 5.55 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-10-19 | Cordele, Crisp County | EF0 1.96 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2017-05-23 | Arabi, Crisp County | EF1 5.22 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 2 | $120K |
| 2017-01-22 | Wenona, Crisp County | EF1 6.93 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2017-01-22 | Bedgood, Crisp County | EF1 0.29 mi x 900 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2011-03-26 | Coney, Crisp County | EF0 0.31 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-04-10 | Coney, Crisp County | EF1 13.36 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $688K |
| 2007-04-15 | Arabi, Crisp County | EF1 7.91 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $114K |
| 1967-07-02 | Crisp County | F1 0.5 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 3 | $3K step |
| 1964-12-25 | Crisp County | F2 2 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1958-11-28 | Crisp County | F2 0.6 mi x 33 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 Crisp County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 16, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-13 | DroughtCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-27 | HailWenona, Crisp County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindCordele Airport, Crisp County | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindDaphne, Crisp County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-01-21 | Winter StormCrisp County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-04-03 | TornadoMarshall, Crisp County | EF1 5.55 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-01-12 | Thunderstorm WindCordele Airport, Crisp County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-10-19 | TornadoCordele, Crisp County | EF0 1.96 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2017-05-23 | TornadoArabi, Crisp County | EF1 5.22 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 2 | $120K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-07-22 | Thunderstorm WindArabi, Crisp County The Crisp county Emergency Management Director reported that a worker at an engineering facility was injured when thunderstorm winds blew a heavy metal door onto the person who as a result suffered serious head injuries. The 51-year old male later died as a result of the injury on August 8, 2003. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1967-07-02 | TornadoCrisp County | F1 0.5 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 3 | $3K step |
| 2017-05-23 | TornadoArabi, Crisp County A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 110 MPH and a maximum path width of 150 yards began just south of Highway 41 and Landfill Road. The tornado quickly intensified as it moved east-northeast and crossed I-75 where a tractor-trailer was blown over onto a car in ... | EF1 5.22 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 2 | $120K |
| 2001-03-03 | Thunderstorm WindConey, Crisp County The Cordele Dispatch reported that trees and power lines were blown down across the county, but especially in the Cordele and Lake Blackshear areas. On Lakeshore Court at Lake Blackshear, a tree fell on a house and caved in the bedroom wall injuring a man and his wife who were sleeping. Three other homes on Lakeshore ... | 0 | 2 | $417K | |
| 1988-06-09 | Thunderstorm WindCrisp County | 0 | 1 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 0 | 0 | $18M | |
| 2009-04-02 | FloodMarshall, Crisp County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2009-04-10 | TornadoConey, Crisp County | EF1 13.36 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $688K |
| 2004-09-06 | High WindCrisp County · forecast zone Crisp | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $547K |
| 2001-03-03 | Thunderstorm WindConey, Crisp County | 0 | 2 | $417K | |
| 2013-08-15 | LightningCordele, Crisp County | 0 | 0 | $253K | |
| 2017-05-23 | TornadoArabi, Crisp County | EF1 5.22 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 2 | $120K |
| 2007-04-15 | TornadoArabi, Crisp County | EF1 7.91 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $114K |
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 $25K, in the dollars of the day) holds: November 28, 1958 (tornado, Crisp County); December 25, 1964 (tornado, Crisp 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 Crisp 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 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 22 | 30 | 29 | 23 |
| Hail | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 5 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 3 | 17 | 6 | 3 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 16 | 3 | 7 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| 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?
45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1956 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 22 · Feb 16 · Mar 28 · Apr 27 · May 33 · Jun 45 · Jul 36 · Aug 31 · Sep 23 · Oct 15 · Nov 10 · Dec 18 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Crisp County
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Crisp County: 10 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (7) and severe storm (3).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-30 | DR-4830 | Hurricane | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-09-26 | EM-3616 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Helene |
| 2024-08-05 | EM-3607 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Debby |
| 2023-01-16 | DR-4685 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 1994-07-07 | DR-1033 | Tornado | Tornadoes, Flooding Torrential Rain(Trop Storm Alberto) |
| 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 Crisp County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 29 flood or flash flood records for Crisp County from 1997 to 2020, on 21 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Crisp County ranks 1488th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.2 million on 70 claims filed in Crisp County; the most in one year was 22 in 2020. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1979: 1 · 1991: 1 · 1994: 2 · 1995: 4 · 1998: 3 · 2001: 1 · 2003: 3 · 2004: 1 · 2005: 3 · 2007: 1 · 2009: 2 · 2010: 1 · 2018: 19 · 2020: 22 · 2024: 4; 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 Crisp County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Crisp County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.1 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $998K | 33 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $1.9M | once in about 6 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $458K | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.3M | once in about 5 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $363K | once in about 668 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $359K | 7.5 modeled event-days a year |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $5.3M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $164K | 67 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 Crisp 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 Crisp CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Crisp County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis