Sumter County, Georgia
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13261 · population 29,566 · 483 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 388 records for Sumter County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 253 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (136 records). The deadliest single record is the March 1, 2007 tornado: 2 deaths, 8 injuries and $157 million in damage in 2025 dollars. 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
- 388on 253 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 441 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $222Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 27strongest EF3
- 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 Sumter County most?
The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 136 since 1957. 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 | 136 | 116 | 1957-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 118 of 159 |
| Drought | 50 | 29 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 0 | $39M | 124 of 159 |
| Hail | 33 | 29 | 1958-2021 | 0 | 0 | $850K | 128 of 159 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 30 | 16 | 2002-2024 | 0 | 0 | $183K | 103 of 159 |
| Extreme cold | 28 | 14 | 1996-2007 | 0 | 0 | – | 93 of 159 |
| Tornadoes | 27 | 23 | 1956-2022 | 3 | 41 | $169M | 44 of 159 |
| Heat | 23 | 12 | 1999-2012 | 1 | 0 | – | 86 of 159 |
| Floods | 16 | 12 | 1998-2020 | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | 109 of 159 |
| High wind and dust storms | 11 | 7 | 1998-2008 | 0 | 0 | $10M | 79 of 159 |
| Winter storms | 11 | 7 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | $113K | 122 of 159 |
| Lightning | 9 | 9 | 1998-2007 | 0 | 0 | $605K | 52 of 159 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 8 | 6 | 1998-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 38 of 159 |
| Heavy rain | 6 | 4 | 2001-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | 76 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 Sumter County had?
NOAA records 27 tornadoes in Sumter County from 1956 to 2022, the strongest rated EF3, with 3 deaths and 41 injuries recorded in the county. That is 44th 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 27 tornadoes whose track touched Sumter County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 27, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 3 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 20:00, as SPC files it | Webster County | EF3 | 40.14 mi | 2 |
| 1971-01-15 11:30, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F2 | 2 mi | 1 |
| 1971-04-23 18:25, as SPC files it | Vienna | F3 | 13.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.
Every tornado record filed for Sumter County (27)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-06 | Cobb, Sumter County | EF1 0.38 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-08-17 | Americus, Sumter County | EF1 1.23 mi x 325 yd | 0 | 0 | $218K |
| 2017-05-23 | Sumter County | EF0 5.35 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2017-04-05 | Lebanon, Sumter County | EF0 3.16 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2015-04-19 | Huntington, Sumter County | EF1 1.46 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2011-03-26 | Flintside, Sumter County | EF0 0.41 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $39K |
| 2009-10-15 | Maddox, Sumter County | EF1 2.11 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $172K |
| 2009-04-10 | Cobb, Sumter County | EF1 2.93 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 2009-04-10 | Plains, Sumter County | EF1 1.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2009-04-10 | Methvins, Sumter County | EF1 2.44 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2007-03-01 | Plains, Sumter County | EF3 32.46 mi x 1,790 yd | 2 | 8 | $157M |
| 2000-12-16 | Americus, Sumter County | F2 10 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $531K |
| 1998-09-29 | Desoto, Sumter County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 12 | $362K |
| 1998-09-29 | Andersonville, Sumter County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 1998-09-29 | Desoto, Sumter County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 10 | $362K |
| 1990-02-10 | Sumter County | F1 0.5 mi x 73 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1981-04-01 | Sumter County | F1 0.3 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1972-06-25 | Sumter County | F1 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1972-04-22 | Sumter County | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1972-01-13 | Sumter County | F1 2 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1971-04-23 | Sumter County | F3 3.6 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1971-01-15 | Sumter County | F2 2 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1970-12-16 | Sumter County | F2 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1965-07-06 | Sumter County | F2 1 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-04-15 | Sumter County | F2 5.1 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1960-06-29 | Sumter County | F1 0.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1956-03-16 | Sumter County | F1 0.1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 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 Sumter County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 8, 2025 thunderstorm wind ($4,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-01 | DroughtSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-18 | Winter StormSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-01-13 | DroughtSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-05-08 | Thunderstorm WindGatewood, Sumter County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2025-02-16 | Thunderstorm WindAmericus, Sumter County | 48 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2022-04-06 | TornadoCobb, Sumter County | EF1 0.38 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-08-17 | TornadoAmericus, Sumter County | EF1 1.23 mi x 325 yd | 0 | 0 | $218K |
| 2017-05-23 | TornadoSumter County | EF0 5.35 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $60K |
| 2017-04-05 | TornadoLebanon, Sumter County | EF0 3.16 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $36K |
| 2015-04-19 | TornadoHuntington, Sumter County | EF1 1.46 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2011-03-27 | HailPlains, Sumter County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $239K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 | TornadoPlains, Sumter County A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that the EF3 tornado that first touched down in southeast Webster county continued to track northeast from the southwest to the northeast corner of Sumter county and then continued into extreme southern Macon county before ... | EF3 32.46 mi x 1,790 yd | 2 | 8 | $157M |
| 1971-01-15 | TornadoSumter County | F2 2 mi x 100 yd | 1 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1999-08-08 | HeatSumter County · forecast zone Sumter A 75 year old woman was found dead of heat stroke, after going to bed with her fan and window air conditioning unit turned off. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-09-29 | TornadoDesoto, Sumter County Low topped convection caused an apparent tornado in the Railroad Street area of DeSoto. Newspaper reports and sight survey by an NWS employee indicated at least 1 permanent structure home and 7 mobile homes were destroyed. Other homes were damaged by some of the hundreds of trees that fell. Several businesses were ... | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 12 | $362K |
| 1998-09-29 | TornadoDesoto, Sumter County Sight survey by an NWS employee and a newspaper report indicated a permanent structure home and several mobile or modular homes were destroyed in the Ferguson Road area. Debris was scattered several hundred feet. | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 10 | $362K |
| 1971-04-23 | TornadoSumter County | F3 3.6 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 8 | $250K step |
| 1990-02-10 | TornadoSumter County | F1 0.5 mi x 73 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1970-12-16 | TornadoSumter County | F2 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-03-01 | TornadoPlains, Sumter County | EF3 32.46 mi x 1,790 yd | 2 | 8 | $157M |
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 0 | 0 | $35M | |
| 2004-09-06 | High WindSumter County · forecast zone Sumter | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $9.8M |
| 2000-06-01 | DroughtSchley County and Sumter County · forecast zone Schley | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | |
| 2005-03-27 | Flash FloodCountywide, Sumter County | 0 | 0 | $756K | |
| 2000-12-16 | TornadoAmericus, Sumter County | F2 10 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $531K |
| 1998-09-29 | TornadoDesoto, Sumter County | F1 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 10 | $362K |
| 2009-03-28 | Thunderstorm WindAmericus, Sumter County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $275K |
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: February 10, 1990 (tornado, Sumter 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 Sumter 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 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 36 | 36 | 32 | 19 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 6 | 34 | 7 | 3 |
| Hail | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 12 | 6 | 1 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 24 | 5 | 1 |
| Extreme cold | – | – | – | – | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
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 Sumter County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 32 · Feb 19 · Mar 41 · Apr 46 · May 37 · Jun 45 · Jul 43 · Aug 35 · Sep 40 · Oct 20 · Nov 11 · Dec 19 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Sumter County
FEMA's register lists 14 declarations that include Sumter County: 7 major disasters, 7 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 |
| 2007-03-03 | DR-1686 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Tornadoes |
| 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) |
| 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 Sumter County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 16 flood or flash flood records for Sumter County from 1998 to 2020, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Sumter County ranks 2181st of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $126,000 on 16 claims filed in Sumter County; the most in one year was 5 in 2005. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1985: 1 · 1994: 1 · 1998: 2 · 2005: 5 · 2013: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2024: 2; 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 Sumter County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sumter County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $1.9M | 54 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $1.5M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $273K | 67 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $444K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Hurricane | Relatively Low | $1.5M | once in about 8 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $588K | 7.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $79K | once in about 1,721 years (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Low | $294K | 2 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 Sumter 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 Sumter CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Sumter County's FEMA declarations (CSV)14 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis