Grady County, Georgia

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13131 · population 26,150 · 454 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 302 records for Grady County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 237 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (167 records). The deadliest single record is the February 14, 2000 tornado: 6 deaths, 15 injuries and $11.1 million in damage in 2025 dollars. 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
302on 237 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
833 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$263Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
24strongest F3
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 Grady County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 167 since 1955. 43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 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.

Grady County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 167 124 1955-2026 0 0 $1.1M 95 of 159
Drought 43 43 1997-2026 0 0 – 87 of 159
Tornadoes 24 22 1958-2026 6 33 $36M 41 of 159
Hail 23 19 1980-2025 0 0 – 145 of 159
Hurricanes and tropical storms 16 16 1998-2024 1 0 $204M 98 of 159
Floods 10 9 2000-2024 1 0 $12M 126 of 159
Heat 5 5 2023-2023 0 0 – 118 of 159
Heavy rain 5 3 2012-2012 0 0 – 96 of 159
Extreme cold 3 3 2017-2026 0 0 $9.5M 126 of 159
Winter storms 3 3 2014-2025 0 0 – 149 of 159
Lightning 2 1 2008-2008 0 0 $82K 146 of 159
High wind and dust storms 1 1 2012-2012 0 0 $6K 137 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 Grady County had?

NOAA records 24 tornadoes in Grady County from 1958 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 6 deaths and 33 injuries recorded in the county. That is 41st 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 23 tornadoes whose track touched Grady County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 24: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 7 people, 6 of them in Grady County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Grady County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2000-02-13 23:49, as SPC files itMeigsF315 mi7

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.

Every tornado record filed for Grady County (24)
Every tornado recorded in Grady County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-12 Calvary, Grady County EF0 1.78 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2025-04-07 Moncrief, Grady County EF1 1.14 mi x 150 yd 0 0 –
2025-04-07 Akridge, Grady County EF1 4.27 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $500K
2019-03-03 Cairo, Grady County EF2 2.68 mi x 800 yd 0 2 $1.2M
2016-03-31 Elpino, Grady County EF0 0.29 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $2K
2016-02-24 Boydville, Grady County EF1 12.81 mi x 400 yd 0 0 $25K
2015-11-01 Elpino, Grady County EF0 0.08 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $12K
2009-02-19 Princes Still, Grady County EF2 5.94 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $1.4M
2008-02-18 Capel, Grady County EF1 3.94 mi x 75 yd 0 1 $206K
2004-09-15 Whigham, Grady County F1 15 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $234K
2003-02-16 Cairo, Grady County F1 0.2 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $120K
2001-03-15 Whigham, Grady County F2 5 mi x 200 yd 0 9 $1.7M
2000-02-14 Cairo, Grady County F3 8.5 mi x 300 yd 6 15 $11M
1995-11-11 Cairo, Grady County F1 2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $387K
1995-11-11 Nickleville, Grady County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $194K
1989-03-30 Grady County F1 0.3 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1976-04-30 Grady County F1 0.3 mi x 60 yd 0 0 $25K step
1971-04-29 Grady County F2 10 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $2.5M step
1971-01-15 Grady County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1970-12-29 Grady County F2 5.1 mi x 400 yd 0 4 $3K step
1969-04-18 Grady County F2 89.6 mi x 233 yd 0 0 $25K step
1966-02-28 Grady County F1 2 mi x 300 yd 0 0 $3K step
1961-04-12 Grady County F1 0.3 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $25K step
1958-08-17 Grady County F1 0.1 mi x 17 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 Grady County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 14, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Grady County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindCairo-Grady Airport, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindPrinces Still, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $3K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindWhigham, Grady County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-14 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $50K
2026-05-01 DroughtGrady County · forecast zone Grady 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtGrady County · forecast zone Grady 0 0 –
2026-03-12 TornadoCalvary, Grady County EF0 1.78 mi x 300 yd 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Grady County 52 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindReno, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindElpino, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindCairo, Grady County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K

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

Records with deaths or injuries in Grady County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2000-02-14 TornadoCairo, Grady County A strong tornado tore through northern Grady County, then crossed into extreme northwest Thomas County. Fifteen homes were destroyed and numerous damaged. Fifteen persons were injured, mostly from flying debris. Six fatalities were confirmed by the Georgia Emergency Management Agency: four deaths in mobile homes and ... F3 8.5 mi x 300 yd 6 15 $11M
2008-08-23 Flash FloodBeachton, Grady County Many roads and low lying areas were flooded. More than 700 miles of county roads were were undermined by the flood waters. A teenage boy drowned when he fell into rushing flood waters of an overflowing lake in Deer Lake subdivision. A man was seriously injured trying to save the boy. Numerous homes in Cairo were ... 1 0 $12M
2008-08-22 Tropical StormGrady County · forecast zone Grady Rainfall from Fay varied between 15 and 24 inches. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the county. Power outages affected 10,000 residents, with 3,000 of those in Cairo. Many county roads were washed out by flood waters. Two dams were breached in Cairo, which destroyed a residential pumpkin patch and ... 1 0 $12M
2001-03-15 TornadoWhigham, Grady County The F2 tornado raced northeast from just southeast of Climax in Decatur County to just southeast of Whigham in Grady County, then dissipated. Nine persons were injured, one critically. Ten homes were damaged and two homes destroyed on Piney Grove Road four miles southwest of Whigham. A half dozen homes were damaged ... F2 5 mi x 200 yd 0 9 $1.7M
1970-12-29 TornadoGrady County F2 5.1 mi x 400 yd 0 4 $3K step
2019-03-03 TornadoCairo, Grady County An EF-2 tornado, with maximum winds of 120 mph, tracked 2.7 miles across Grady County in the Cairo area. The tornado touched down on Monrovia Nursery, downing 100s of potted plants and numerous trees in the forest. The tornado continued to track northeastward, downing numerous trees, many of which fell on homes ... EF2 2.68 mi x 800 yd 0 2 $1.2M
1971-04-29 TornadoGrady County F2 10 mi x 300 yd 0 2 $2.5M step
2008-02-18 TornadoCapel, Grady County The same supercell thunderstorm which spawned the brief EF0 tornado in southeast Decatur County produced an EF1 tornado just west of State Highway 93 on Courtney Lane. Mobile homes along Courtney Lane suffered minor roof damage and skirting was torn from their bases. Also, numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. The ... EF1 3.94 mi x 75 yd 0 1 $206K

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.

The costliest records in Grady County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2018-10-10 Hurricane (Typhoon)Grady County · forecast zone Grady 0 0 $189M
2008-08-22 Tropical StormGrady County · forecast zone Grady 1 0 $12M
2008-08-23 Flash FloodBeachton, Grady County 1 0 $12M
2000-02-14 TornadoCairo, Grady County F3 8.5 mi x 300 yd 6 15 $11M
2001-03-15 TornadoWhigham, Grady County F2 5 mi x 200 yd 0 9 $1.7M
2009-02-19 TornadoPrinces Still, Grady County EF2 5.94 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $1.4M
2019-03-03 TornadoCairo, Grady County EF2 2.68 mi x 800 yd 0 2 $1.2M
2025-04-07 TornadoAkridge, Grady County EF1 4.27 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $500K

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 29, 1971 (tornado, Grady 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 Grady 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).

Grady County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind102320336741
Drought––––103111
Tornadoes13412643
Hail00034448
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––1735
Floods––––0433

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

43% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 24 · Feb 30 · Mar 37 · Apr 22 · May 16 · Jun 41 · Jul 46 · Aug 29 · Sep 20 · Oct 7 · Nov 20 · Dec 10 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Grady County

FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Grady County: 9 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (7) and severe storm (4).

Declarations including Grady County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-09-30DR-4830HurricaneHurricane Helene
2024-09-26EM-3616Tropical StormHurricane Helene
2024-08-05EM-3607Tropical StormHurricane Debby
2020-03-29DR-4501BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3464BiologicalCovid-19
2018-10-14DR-4400HurricaneHurricane Michael
2018-10-10EM-3406HurricaneHurricane Michael
2017-09-15DR-4338HurricaneHurricane Irma
2017-09-08EM-3387HurricaneHurricane Irma
2009-04-23DR-1833Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds
2005-09-05EM-3218HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2004-09-24DR-1560HurricaneTropical Storm Frances
2000-02-15DR-1315Severe StormSevere Storms/Tornados
1998-03-11DR-1209Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1994-10-19DR-1042Severe StormHeavy Rains, Tornados, Flooding, High Winds
1993-03-15EM-3097SnowstormSevere Snowfall, Winter Storm
1977-07-20EM-3044DroughtDrought

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 Grady County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 10 flood or flash flood records for Grady County from 2000 to 2024, on 9 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Grady County ranks 2262nd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Grady County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Debby2024-08-0510
Hurricane Michael2018-10-1010
Hurricane Irma2017-09-1010
Tropical Storm Frances2004-09-0510

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $168,000 on 13 claims filed in Grady County; the most in one year was 2 in 1985. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1985: 2 · 1998: 2 · 1999: 1 · 2000: 1 · 2001: 1 · 2009: 2 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 2 · 2021: 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 Grady County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Grady County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $13.3 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.

National Risk Index ratings for Grady County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
HurricaneRelatively Moderate$4.2Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.5Monce in about 3 years (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Moderate$1.5M1.7 a year (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$340K74 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively Low$221K32 modeled event-days a year
Heat WaveRelatively Low$300K5.4 modeled event-days a year
Riverine FloodingRelatively Low$3.8Monce in about 4 years (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Low$220K1.6 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 Grady County

  1. Leon County, FL 1,395
  2. Thomas County 425
  3. Mitchell County 387
  4. Decatur County 363
  5. Gadsden County, FL 356
  6. Grady County 302

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

Next