Fayette County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13113 · population 118,998 · 195 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 520 records for Fayette County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 377 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (215 records). The deadliest single record is the July 13, 2012 lightning: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 14 declarations naming the county since 1977, 12 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
- 520on 377 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 222 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $61Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 12strongest F2
- FEMA declarations
- 14latest 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 Fayette County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 215 since 1971. 41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1971 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 | 215 | 158 | 1971-2026 | 0 | 7 | $4.8M | 5 of 159 |
| Hail | 94 | 78 | 1968-2025 | 0 | 0 | $19M | 4 of 159 |
| Lightning | 50 | 48 | 1997-2023 | 1 | 15 | $9.4M | 1 of 159 |
| Drought | 36 | 36 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $4.9M | 17 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 26 | 26 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $2.2M | 29 of 159 |
| Floods | 24 | 21 | 1996-2021 | 1 | 0 | $3.5M | 7 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 16 | 16 | 2002-2020 | 0 | 0 | $120K | 19 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 16 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 12 | 11 | 1980-2025 | 0 | 0 | $15M | 25 of 159 |
| Heat | 11 | 11 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 18 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 11 | 11 | 2001-2014 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 21 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 7 | 2001-2017 | 0 | 0 | $379K | 4 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 1998-2005 | 0 | 0 | – | 10 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 Fayette County had?
NOAA records 12 tornadoes in Fayette County from 1980 to 2025, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 0 injuries recorded in the county. That is 25th 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 12 tornadoes whose track touched Fayette County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 12, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-03-25 21:37, as SPC files it | Newnan to Peachtree | EF4 | 38.56 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Fayette County (12)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-07 | Brooks, Fayette County | EF0 1.4 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | Fayetteville, Fayette County | EF0 0.24 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-12-29 | Fytville McCombs Arp, Fayette County | EF0 1.58 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $9K |
| 2021-03-25 | Aberdeen, Fayette County | EF0 3.61 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 0 | $54K |
| 2019-02-12 | Lees Mill, Fayette County | EF0 0.56 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2011-12-22 | Lees Mill, Fayette County | EF0 2.91 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2011-12-22 | Woolsey Rust Airport, Fayette County | EF1 1.64 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $33K |
| 2008-10-08 | Fayetteville, Fayette County | EF0 0.05 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $171K |
| 2006-01-02 | Lees Mill, Fayette County | F2 3 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2005-07-06 | Fayetteville, Fayette County | F0 1 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 1984-04-22 | Fayette County | F0 0.3 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1980-04-13 | Fayette County | F1 9.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $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 Fayette County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindBrooks, Fayette County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindBrooks, Fayette County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindShake Rag, Fayette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-03-12 | Thunderstorm WindClover, Fayette County | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtFayette County · forecast zone Fayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-10 | DroughtFayette County · forecast zone Fayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-07 | DroughtFayette County · forecast zone Fayette | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindStarrs Mill, Fayette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindFytville McCombs Arp, Fayette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindPeachtree City, Fayette County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $10K |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindWoolsey, Fayette County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindPeachtree City, Fayette County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-07-13 | LightningPeachtree City, Fayette County Peachtree City Police reported that one man was killed and another was injured due to a lightning strike at the Batter Way docks on Peachtree Lake. The men were fishing on the lake and when they saw the storms coming in, they puled their boat out of the water and took shelter from a storm underneath a tree that was ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2005-07-06 | Flash FloodPeachtree City, Fayette County The Fayette County Emergency Management Director reported that flash flooding occurred in some areas of Peachtree City in particular. Rainfall of five inches or more was common across much of the county between 7 pm and 10 pm EDT, especially the western and northern sections. Several homes were flooded in Peachtree ... | 1 | 0 | $246K | |
| 2012-08-02 | LightningHarp, Fayette County The Fayette County Emergency Manager relayed a report of a house being struck by lightning on Hilo Road. The house was damaged in the small fire that resulted. The family was sitting under an awning, and eight people were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. | 0 | 8 | $1K | |
| 1997-02-21 | Thunderstorm WindFayetteville, Fayette County The same thunderstorm continued into the east part of Fayette county. Trees were knocked down on the west side of Fayetteville.On highway 85 in Fayetteville, a McDonalds' sign was blown out.A large tree was snapped off 15 to 20 feet above the ground and fell onto a truck and a car in the drive-through lane at a ... | 0 | 4 | $1.1M | |
| 2007-07-20 | LightningPeachtree City, Fayette County The Fayette Citizen reported that lightning struck a home in the Wood Creek subdivision just south of the Peachtree City city limits. Damage to the home was significant. In addition, three fire fighters sustained minor injuries while fighting the fire. The Fayette County Emergency Management Director reported that ... | 0 | 3 | $1.1M | |
| 2007-07-09 | LightningPeachtree City, Fayette County The Fayette County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck two homes, one in Peachtree City on Smokey Way and another in Fayetteville on Chateau Drive. Moderate damage resulted to both structures. In addition, a person was struck and injured by lightning on Winter Valley Court in Fayetteville. | 0 | 1 | $356K | |
| 2005-06-21 | LightningFayetteville, Fayette County The Fayette County Emergency Managment Director reported that lightning struck a poplar tree adjacent to a home on Old Mill Court off Georgia Highway 54 west of Fayetteville. The lightning travelled from the tree to an alarm clock that a man was holding in the adjacent house at the time. The man was rendered ... | 0 | 1 | $8K | |
| 2005-06-05 | LightningStarrs Mill, Fayette County The Fayette County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck a home in the Lone Oak Estates subdivision of Padgett Road in the far southeast portion of the county. The home suffered minor damage. In addition, one person in the home was injured by the lightning strike and was transported to the ... | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-18 | HailTyrone, Fayette County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $11M |
| 2013-03-18 | HailFayetteville, Fayette County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $5.5M |
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtFayette County · forecast zone Fayette | 0 | 0 | $4.9M | |
| 2005-07-06 | TornadoFayetteville, Fayette County | F0 1 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2006-01-02 | TornadoLees Mill, Fayette County | F2 3 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.9M |
| 2004-11-24 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Fayette County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
| 2015-12-24 | Flash FloodAberdeen, Fayette County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2007-07-20 | LightningPeachtree City, Fayette County | 0 | 3 | $1.1M |
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: April 13, 1980 (tornado, Fayette 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 Fayette 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 | 5 | 10 | 50 | 35 | 42 | 73 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 33 | 38 | 9 | 4 |
| Lightning | – | – | – | – | 4 | 31 | 14 | 1 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 3 | 18 | 12 | 3 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 11 | 12 | 1 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 3 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1971 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 37 · Feb 32 · Mar 42 · Apr 49 · May 50 · Jun 83 · Jul 95 · Aug 54 · Sep 24 · Oct 19 · Nov 11 · Dec 24 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Fayette County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Fayette County: 6 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (4) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-24 | EM-3642 | Winter Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 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 |
| 2017-09-15 | DR-4338 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2017-09-08 | EM-3387 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2016-02-26 | DR-4259 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2014-03-06 | DR-4165 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2014-02-11 | EM-3368 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-05 | EM-3218 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 1995-10-10 | DR-1071 | Hurricane | Hurricane Opal |
| 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 Fayette County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 24 flood or flash flood records for Fayette County from 1996 to 2021, on 21 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Fayette County ranks 1045th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.9 million on 163 claims filed in Fayette County; the most in one year was 32 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1980: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1989: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1994: 11 · 1995: 6 · 1996: 2 · 1997: 5 · 1998: 3 · 1999: 3 · 2002: 2 · 2003: 11 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 32 · 2007: 1 · 2009: 3 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 13 · 2016: 4 · 2017: 9 · 2018: 3 · 2019: 10 · 2020: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2024: 11 · 2025: 2 · 2026: 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 Fayette County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fayette County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $32.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning | Relatively High | $1.5M | 65 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $6.0M | once in about 7 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 5.2 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $257K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $910K | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.4M | once in about 581 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $19M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $268K | once in about 15 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Fayette 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 Fayette CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Fayette County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis