Dodge County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13091 · population 19,846 · 496 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 376 records for Dodge County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 254 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (139 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 17 declarations naming the county since 1977, 15 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
- 376on 254 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 411 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $249Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 18strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 17latest 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 Dodge County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 139 since 1972. 46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1972 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 | 139 | 121 | 1972-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 116 of 159 |
| Drought | 47 | 27 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $18M | 129 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 36 | 17 | 2002-2024 | 0 | 0 | $333K | 100 of 159 |
| Hail | 35 | 34 | 1962-2023 | 0 | 0 | $57K | 115 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 28 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | $221M | 95 of 159 |
| Heat | 23 | 12 | 1999-2012 | 2 | 0 | – | 89 of 159 |
| Floods | 19 | 12 | 1997-2021 | 0 | 0 | $709K | 110 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 18 | 15 | 1954-2024 | 2 | 11 | $6.0M | 101 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 13 | 8 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | 115 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 6 | 4 | 1998-2004 | 0 | 0 | $511K | 108 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 2 | 2001-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 124 of 159 |
| Lightning | 4 | 4 | 1998-2009 | 0 | 0 | $150K | 99 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 2 | 2002-2002 | 0 | 0 | – | 115 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 Dodge County had?
NOAA records 18 tornadoes in Dodge County from 1954 to 2024, the strongest rated EF2, with 2 deaths and 11 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 18 tornadoes whose track touched Dodge County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 18, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-05 00:39, as SPC files it | Unnamed | EF2 | 3.13 mi | 1 |
| 1996-11-08 04:35, as SPC files it | Chester | F2 | 4 mi | 1 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Dodge County (18)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-09 | Dubois, Dodge County | EF1 12.2 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | Cochran Airport, Dodge County | EF1 4.51 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | Bryant, Dodge County | EF0 1.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | Roddy, Dodge County | EF1 5.62 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | Copeland, Dodge County | EF0 3.85 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-04-05 | Dubois, Dodge County | EF1 4.1 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $241K |
| 2015-01-04 | Dempsey, Dodge County | EF1 0.32 mi x 120 yd | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2014-05-14 | Eastman, Dodge County | EF0 1.72 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2011-04-05 | Dubois, Dodge County | EF2 3.13 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 2 | $197K |
| 2007-12-15 | Jay Bird Spgs, Dodge County | EF0 0.5 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2007-04-15 | Eastman, Dodge County | EF2 3.64 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $712K |
| 2007-04-15 | Eastman, Dodge County | EF1 4.48 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $498K |
| 1996-11-08 | Chester, Dodge County | F2 4 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 6 | $376K |
| 1995-10-27 | Rhine, Dodge County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $97K |
| 1980-03-21 | Dodge County | F1 5.9 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1958-11-28 | Dodge County | F2 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1955-04-02 | Dodge County | F1 5.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1954-04-16 | Dodge County | F1 2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Dodge County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the September 11, 2017 tropical storm ($301,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
The local news media reported many trees and power lines blown down across the county. Several homes throughout the county received damage when trees fell onto them as did an apartment building in Eastman. A wind gust of 48 mph was measured in Eastman. Radar estimated between 1.5 and 3.5 inches of rain fell across the county with 3.38 measured near Chauncey. No injuries were reported.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 721373)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-13 | DroughtDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-21 | Winter StormDodge County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-05-09 | TornadoDubois, Dodge County | EF1 12.2 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | TornadoCochran Airport, Dodge County | EF1 4.51 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-06 | TornadoBryant, Dodge County | EF0 1.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoRoddy, Dodge County | EF1 5.62 mi x 125 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoCopeland, Dodge County | EF0 3.85 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-09-11 | Tropical StormDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | $301K | |
| 2017-04-05 | TornadoDubois, Dodge County | EF1 4.1 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $241K |
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 | – | |
| 1996-11-08 | TornadoChester, Dodge County A mixture of severe thunderstorm winds and tornado damage occurred in a track from near Chester in northern Dodge county into Laurens county. In Dodge county near the intersection of highways 257 and 126 down-burst/straight-line winds pushed over several very large oak and sycamore trees, blew the tin roof off of an ... | F2 4 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 6 | $376K |
| 2011-04-05 | TornadoDubois, Dodge County A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado tracked across northern Dodge county. The tornado touched down approximately 10 miles northwest of Eastman near Friendship UMC Road, just outside the Gresston community, and traveled ... | EF2 3.13 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 2 | $197K |
| 2007-04-15 | TornadoEastman, Dodge County A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF1 tornado, with a maximum wind speed of 90 mph, had touched down about one mile west of downtown Eastman and traveled north-northeast to a point about four miles north-northeast of downtown Eastman. The total path ... | EF1 4.48 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $498K |
| 1958-11-28 | TornadoDodge County | F2 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 1 | $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 | DroughtDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | $10M | |
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtBleckley County and Dodge County · forecast zone Bleckley | 0 | 0 | $8.0M | |
| 2002-01-02 | Winter StormDodge County · forecast zone Dodge | 0 | 0 | $1.6M | |
| 2007-04-15 | TornadoEastman, Dodge County | EF2 3.64 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $712K |
| 2007-04-15 | TornadoEastman, Dodge County | EF1 4.48 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $498K |
| 2005-03-27 | Flash FloodCountywide, Dodge County | 0 | 0 | $378K | |
| 1996-11-08 | TornadoChester, Dodge County | F2 4 mi x 50 yd | 1 | 6 | $376K |
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: November 28, 1958 (tornado, Dodge County); March 21, 1980 (tornado, Dodge 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 Dodge 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 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 21 | 30 | 42 | 26 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 6 | 34 | 4 | 3 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 22 | 6 | 8 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 13 | 5 | 4 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 4 | 14 | 5 | 0 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
46% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1972 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 30 · Feb 18 · Mar 42 · Apr 36 · May 42 · Jun 58 · Jul 36 · Aug 24 · Sep 40 · Oct 23 · Nov 10 · Dec 17 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Dodge County
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Dodge County: 8 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (7) and tropical storm (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 |
| 2024-08-05 | EM-3607 | Tropical Storm | Hurricane Debby |
| 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 |
| 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) |
| 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 Dodge County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 19 flood or flash flood records for Dodge County from 1997 to 2021, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dodge County ranks 2830th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irma | 2017-09-11 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 1 claim filed in Dodge County; the most in one year was 1 in 2017. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2017: 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 Dodge County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dodge County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $10.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.8M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $567K | 31 modeled event-days a year |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.3M | once in about 6 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $645K | 7.9 modeled event-days a year |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $147K | 67 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $367K | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $204K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $62K | once in about 1,586 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Dodge 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 Dodge CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Dodge County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis