Houston County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13153 · population 163,485 · 376 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 556 records for Houston County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 398 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (299 records). The deadliest single record is the April 30, 1953 tornado: 18 deaths and 300 injuries. FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1966, 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
- 556on 398 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 20328 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $306Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 27strongest F4
- 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 Houston County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 299 since 1962. 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 | 299 | 220 | 1962-2025 | 1 | 1 | $4.0M | 17 of 159 |
| Hail | 91 | 76 | 1956-2024 | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | 35 of 159 |
| Drought | 30 | 30 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $5.6M | 103 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 24 | 1953-2026 | 19 | 313 | $290M | 17 of 159 |
| Floods | 20 | 17 | 1998-2020 | 0 | 0 | $998K | 61 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 18 | 16 | 2002-2024 | 0 | 1 | $364K | 74 of 159 |
| Lightning | 18 | 17 | 1998-2014 | 0 | 13 | $1.4M | 18 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 68 of 159 |
| Heat | 11 | 11 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 65 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 9 | 9 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | $227K | 96 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 8 | 8 | 1998-2014 | 0 | 0 | $722K | 61 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 6 | 2001-2014 | 0 | 0 | $78K | 31 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 5 | 1997-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 34 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 Houston County had?
NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Houston County from 1953 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 19 deaths and 313 injuries recorded in the county. That is 17th of 159 Georgia counties and 258th 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 26 tornadoes whose track touched Houston County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 21 people, 19 of them in Houston County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-04-30 16:13, as SPC files it | Warner Robins | F4 | 1 mi | 18 |
| 1957-04-05 03:00, as SPC files it | Warner Robins | F2 | 75 mi | 2 |
| 1954-03-13 21:30, as SPC files it | Warner Robins | F1 | 34.4 mi | 1 |
| 2022-04-05 13:49, as SPC files it | Warner Robins | EF3 | 3.89 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Houston County (27)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-12 | Barrington, Houston County | EF1 1.12 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | Centerville, Houston County | EF0 3.59 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | Dunbar, Houston County | EF0 4.84 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-04-03 | Centerville, Houston County | EF0 1.24 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | Bonaire, Houston County | EF3 3.89 mi x 820 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 2017-04-03 | Centerville, Houston County | EF1 5.88 mi x 600 yd | 0 | 0 | $120K |
| 2017-01-21 | Heard, Houston County | EF2 8.64 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $301K |
| 2017-01-21 | Perry Ft Vly Airport, Houston County | EF0 0.91 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2016-04-01 | Centerville, Houston County | EF1 4.86 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | $307K |
| 2014-11-23 | Elko, Houston County | EF1 3.7 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2009-02-18 | Elberta, Houston County | EF0 0.01 mi x 1 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-04-10 | Houston County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1980-03-21 | Houston County | F1 4.5 mi x 67 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1980-03-21 | Houston County | F1 5.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.5M step |
| 1972-01-13 | Houston County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-07-19 | Houston County | F2 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1970-05-26 | Houston County | F1 0.5 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1968-11-18 | Houston County | F1 12 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1968-07-28 | Houston County | F0 0.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1967-08-10 | Houston County | F0 0.4 mi x 37 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1966-07-28 | Houston County | F1 0.5 mi x 77 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1965-08-01 | Houston County | F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1963-01-20 | Houston County | F2 7.9 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1961-03-31 | Houston County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1959-04-17 | Houston County | F1 0.1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1954-03-13 | Houston County | F1 18.5 mi x 300 yd | 1 | 5 | $25K step |
| 1953-04-30 | Houston County | F4 1 mi x 333 yd | 18 | 300 | $25M 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 Houston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoBarrington, Houston County | EF1 1.12 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtHouston County · forecast zone Houston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtHouston County · forecast zone Houston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormHouston County · forecast zone Houston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-01 | DroughtHouston County · forecast zone Houston | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-18 | Thunderstorm WindPerry, Houston County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | TornadoCenterville, Houston County | EF0 3.59 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-31 | TornadoDunbar, Houston County | EF0 4.84 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindCenterville, Houston County | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2024-04-03 | TornadoCenterville, Houston County | EF0 1.24 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoBonaire, Houston County | EF3 3.89 mi x 820 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 2021-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindPerry, Houston County | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $109K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-04-30 | TornadoHouston County | F4 1 mi x 333 yd | 18 | 300 | $25M step |
| 1954-03-13 | TornadoHouston County | F1 18.5 mi x 300 yd | 1 | 5 | $25K step |
| 2021-05-03 | Thunderstorm WindPerry, Houston County The Houston County Emergency Manager reported several trees blown down across the county from the northeast side of Perry to Warner Robins and Bonaire. One tree fell on a vehicle parked in a driveway near Perry and a tree fell onto a home in Bonaire killing a resident of the home. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $109K |
| 2008-09-11 | LightningBonaire, Houston County The Macon Telegraph reported that 12 people, nine adults and three teenagers, were injured when lightning struck a goal post on the football field at Bonaire Middle School during a Thursday evening football game. The athletic director from the opposing school, Warner Robins, was left in critical condition and ... | 0 | 12 | – | |
| 2022-04-05 | TornadoBonaire, Houston County A tornado rapidly intensified as it approached the Bonaire community of northeast Houston County during the mid afternoon hours of Tuesday, April 5th. As the tornado went across an open field near the Old Hawkinsville Road and Cullen Road intersection, two large high-tension transmission (power) towers were destroyed ... | EF3 3.89 mi x 820 yd | 0 | 3 | – |
| 1980-03-21 | TornadoHouston County | F1 5.4 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.5M step |
| 1966-07-28 | TornadoHouston County | F1 0.5 mi x 77 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 2017-09-11 | Tropical StormHouston County · forecast zone Houston The Houston County Emergency Manager and the news media reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across the county. The roof was blown off of a business and trees fell on several houses in Perry. A steeple was blown off of a church and trees fell on several vehicles in Warner Robins. Minor damage was ... | 0 | 1 | $361K |
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 | DroughtHouston County · forecast zone Houston | 0 | 0 | $5.6M | |
| 2010-10-25 | HailPerry, Houston County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $880K |
| 2008-07-28 | HailCenterville, Houston County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $822K |
| 2018-03-19 | HailHenderson, Houston County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $588K |
| 1995-05-15 | Thunderstorm WindWarner Robins, Houston County | 0 | 0 | $484K | |
| 2009-05-10 | Thunderstorm WindBarrington, Houston County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $413K |
| 2003-07-17 | LightningWarner Robins, Houston County | 0 | 0 | $401K | |
| 2012-07-03 | LightningWrights Mill, Houston County | 0 | 0 | $386K |
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 $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 30, 1953 (tornado, Houston County, 18 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 Houston 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 | 4 | 15 | 26 | 55 | 54 | 64 | 81 |
| Hail | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 30 | 31 | 17 | 8 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 3 | 17 | 7 | 3 |
| Tornadoes | 3 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 11 | 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 Houston County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 34 · Feb 19 · Mar 45 · Apr 64 · May 59 · Jun 87 · Jul 83 · Aug 78 · Sep 40 · Oct 19 · Nov 11 · Dec 17 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Houston County
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Houston County: 8 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (6) 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 |
| 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 |
| 2014-02-11 | EM-3368 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2009-09-24 | DR-1858 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 1966-03-14 | DR-214 | Flood | Flooding |
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 Houston County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 20 flood or flash flood records for Houston County from 1998 to 2020, on 17 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Houston County ranks 1048th 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 $1.9 million on 162 claims filed in Houston County; the most in one year was 74 in 1994. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1989: 2 · 1992: 1 · 1994: 74 · 1995: 1 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 1 · 1999: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 6 · 2005: 8 · 2007: 1 · 2009: 16 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2020: 23 · 2021: 4 · 2022: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2024: 1 · 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 Houston County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Houston County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $33.2 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 | $1.1M | 64 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $4.4M | 7.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $4.4M | once in about 4 years (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $509K | 40 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.0M | 1.5 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $2.3M | once in about 9 years (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.7M | once in about 510 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $16M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Houston 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 Houston CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Houston County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis