Rockdale County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13247 · population 93,392 · 130 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 301 records for Rockdale County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 243 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (108 records). The deadliest single record is the February 26, 2013 strong wind, filed for the forecast zone Rockdale, which covers the county: 1 death and $63,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 16 declarations naming the county since 1973, 14 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
- 301on 243 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 23 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $26Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 6strongest EF2
- FEMA declarations
- 16latest 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 Rockdale County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 108 since 1974. 45% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1974 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 | 108 | 79 | 1974-2026 | 0 | 2 | $1.4M | 14 of 159 |
| Drought | 36 | 36 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 3 of 159 |
| Hail | 36 | 32 | 1980-2013 | 0 | 0 | $11M | 23 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 24 | 24 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $2.0M | 18 of 159 |
| Lightning | 18 | 15 | 1996-2012 | 0 | 0 | $3.2M | 6 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 16 | 16 | 2002-2020 | 0 | 0 | $181K | 2 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 14 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 2 of 159 |
| Heat | 13 | 13 | 1999-2012 | 1 | 0 | – | 2 of 159 |
| Floods | 12 | 9 | 2003-2020 | 0 | 0 | $4.6M | 32 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 10 | 10 | 1998-2022 | 1 | 0 | $827K | 13 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 6 | 4 | 1981-2024 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M | 98 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 4 | 4 | 2001-2017 | 0 | 0 | – | 7 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2002-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 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 Rockdale County had?
NOAA records 6 tornadoes in Rockdale County from 1981 to 2024, the strongest rated EF2, with 0 deaths and 0 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 8 tornadoes whose track touched Rockdale County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 6: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 2 people, 0 of them in Rockdale County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-03-31 16:30, as SPC files it | Stonecrest to Monroe | F2 | 72.4 mi | 2 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Rockdale County (6)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-02 | Camp Smyrna, Rockdale County | EF2 9.47 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-11 | Magnet, Rockdale County | EF0 9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 1989-10-01 | Rockdale County | F2 2 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-10-01 | Rockdale County | F1 0.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1989-10-01 | Rockdale County | F2 1 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1981-05-10 | Rockdale County | F1 1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $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.
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 Rockdale County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 16, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($3,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | Thunderstorm WindLakeview Estates, Rockdale County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-10 | DroughtRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-31 | Winter StormRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-24 | Ice StormRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-10-14 | DroughtRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindBlossom, Rockdale County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-06-25 | Thunderstorm WindMagnet, Rockdale County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-06 | Thunderstorm WindConyers, Rockdale County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-04-06 | Thunderstorm WindHoney Creek, Rockdale County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindCamp Smyrna, Rockdale County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-03-31 | Thunderstorm WindConyers, Rockdale County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-02-26 | Strong WindRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office reported that a large pine tree fell on a pickup truck traveling on Interstate 20 between Sigman Road and the DeKalb County line, killing the occupant. This accident resulted in a multiple-car pileup, as at least six other cars were involved in crashes as they tried to avoid the ... | 26 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $63K |
| 2006-07-31 | HeatRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale The Rockdale Citizen and all of the major broadcast networks in Atlanta reported that a 15-year old high school football player died of heat exhaustion the day after an afternoon workout at the Rockdale County High School in Conyers. The air temperature at the time was 93 degrees with a heat index of 96. The player ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1989-04-04 | Thunderstorm WindRockdale County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2000-01-22 | Ice StormRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale Wintry precipitation plagued the northern third of Georgia beginning Saturday and continued into Sunday. A shallow cold airmass with single-digit dewpoint temperatures was in place over north Georgia, with temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s over much of the area. An upper level disturbance moved rapidly over ... | 0 | 1 | $1.7M |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-09-21 | FloodMcElroys Mill, Rockdale County | 0 | 0 | $2.8M | |
| 2007-06-12 | HailConyers, Rockdale County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.3M |
| 2009-09-21 | FloodMcElroys Mill, Rockdale County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2005-02-21 | HailConyers, Rockdale County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $831K |
| 2005-03-31 | LightningConyers, Rockdale County | 0 | 0 | $756K | |
| 2004-09-16 | High WindRockdale County · forecast zone Rockdale | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $547K |
| 2007-01-05 | Thunderstorm WindConyers, Rockdale County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $498K |
| 2000-07-11 | LightningLakeview Estates, Rockdale County | 0 | 0 | $428K |
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: May 10, 1981 (tornado, Rockdale County); October 1, 1989 (tornado, Rockdale County); October 1, 1989 (tornado, Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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 | 2 | 14 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 41 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 3 | 18 | 12 | 3 |
| Hail | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 14 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 2 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
| Lightning | – | – | – | – | 2 | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 13 | 2 | 1 |
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 1974 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 21 · Feb 21 · Mar 25 · Apr 33 · May 21 · Jun 48 · Jul 47 · Aug 20 · Sep 22 · Oct 15 · Nov 13 · Dec 15 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Rockdale County
FEMA's register lists 16 declarations that include Rockdale County: 8 major disasters, 8 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (4) and severe storm (3).
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 2000-01-28 | DR-1311 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 1998-03-11 | DR-1209 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 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 |
| 1973-04-04 | DR-370 | Tornado | Tornadoes & 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 Rockdale County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 12 flood or flash flood records for Rockdale County from 2003 to 2020, on 9 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Rockdale County ranks 1488th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $1.5 million on 70 claims filed in Rockdale County; the most in one year was 16 in 2009. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1980: 1 · 1982: 1 · 1983: 1 · 1989: 2 · 1990: 3 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 5 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 2 · 2003: 1 · 2004: 3 · 2005: 4 · 2009: 16 · 2010: 1 · 2012: 1 · 2013: 4 · 2015: 6 · 2017: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2019: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2024: 8 · 2025: 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 Rockdale County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockdale County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $21.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | $422K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $3.9M | once in about 12 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $786K | 5.2 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $636K | 62 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 2.5 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.2M | once in about 556 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $12M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $587K | 2.8 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Rockdale 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 Rockdale CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Rockdale County's FEMA declarations (CSV)16 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis