Terrell County, Georgia

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 13273 · population 9,136 · 336 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 219 records for Terrell County, Georgia from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 180 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (118 records). The most damaging was the March 8, 1998 flood ($18.1 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 10 declarations naming the county since 1994, 8 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Hurricane Helene” on September 26, 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
219on 180 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
01 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$178Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
10strongest F2
FEMA declarations
10latest 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 Terrell County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 118 since 1958. 41% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1958 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.

Terrell County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 118 91 1958-2026 0 0 $874K 97 of 159
Drought 41 41 1997-2026 0 0 – 56 of 159
Hail 18 14 1987-2023 0 0 $6.7M 147 of 159
Floods 10 9 1998-2025 0 0 $19M 104 of 159
Tornadoes 10 10 1954-2021 0 1 $4.1M 103 of 159
Hurricanes and tropical storms 7 7 1998-2024 0 0 $138M 133 of 159
Winter storms 6 6 2010-2026 0 0 $128K 106 of 159
Extreme cold 3 3 2017-2026 0 0 $9.5M 116 of 159
Heat 3 3 2023-2023 0 0 – 125 of 159
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 2006-2019 0 0 – 90 of 159
High wind and dust storms 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 $82K 132 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 Terrell County had?

NOAA records 10 tornadoes in Terrell County from 1954 to 2021, the strongest rated F2, with 0 deaths and 1 injury 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 11 tornadoes whose track touched Terrell County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 10: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person, 0 of them in Terrell County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Terrell County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
1963-01-20 16:00, as SPC files itFort Gaines to DawsonF170.2 mi1

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Georgia.

Every tornado record filed for Terrell County (10)
Every tornado recorded in Terrell County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2021-04-24 Doverel, Terrell County EF1 0.93 mi x 100 yd 0 0 –
2021-03-18 Chickasawhatchee, Terrell County EF1 3.99 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $22K
2016-02-24 Clarks Mill, Terrell County EF1 5.09 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2009-04-10 Chambliss, Terrell County EF1 0.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $413K
1990-05-21 Terrell County F1 1 mi x 73 yd 0 0 $250K step
1984-05-03 Terrell County F1 4 mi x 80 yd 0 1 $250K step
1973-12-31 Terrell County F1 0 0 $250K step
1972-01-11 Terrell County F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-04-27 Terrell County F0 1.5 mi x 67 yd 0 0 $25K step
1954-12-05 Terrell County F2 2.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $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.

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 Terrell County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 26, 2023 hail ($6.7 million in damage in 2025 dollars).

Significant amounts of hail at least quarter sized fell across a large swath of farmland in rural Terrell county. Reports on social media indicated that some farmers lost a significant amount of corn crops and blueberry crops with some total losses reported. Crop damage cost was estimated using $6000 per acre for blueberries and $882 per acre for corn and estimating that about 1000 acres was affected.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1092143)
The 12 most recent records kept for Terrell County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-05-25 Thunderstorm WindDawson, Terrell County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-24 Thunderstorm WindGraves, Terrell County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-22 Thunderstorm WindSasser, Terrell County 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-03-12 Thunderstorm WindDawson, Terrell County 55 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-01 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-02-01 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-02-01 Extreme Cold/Wind ChillTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-01-18 Heavy SnowTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2026-01-13 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –
2025-12-01 DroughtTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 –

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 Terrell County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1984-05-03 TornadoTerrell County F1 4 mi x 80 yd 0 1 $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.

The costliest records in Terrell County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-03-08 FloodTerrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 $18M
2023-04-26 HailGraves, Terrell County 1.00 in hail 0 0 $6.7M
2005-07-11 Flash FloodCountywide, Terrell County 0 0 $453K
2009-04-10 TornadoChambliss, Terrell County EF1 0.6 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $413K
2005-07-09 Hurricane (Typhoon)Terrell County · forecast zone Terrell 0 0 $378K
2021-03-18 TornadoChickasawhatchee, Terrell County EF1 3.99 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $22K
2019-02-12 Thunderstorm WindDawson, Terrell County 78 kt wind 0 0 $12K

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 3, 1984 (tornado, Terrell County); December 31, 1973 (tornado, Terrell County); May 21, 1990 (tornado, Terrell 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 Terrell 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).

Terrell County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind230420154826
Drought––––10319
Hail00023643
Floods––––1225
Tornadoes11211112

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 1958 fell in June and July. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 22 · Feb 12 · Mar 19 · Apr 24 · May 22 · Jun 31 · Jul 31 · Aug 22 · Sep 7 · Oct 7 · Nov 9 · Dec 13 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Terrell County

FEMA's register lists 10 declarations that include Terrell County: 5 major disasters, 5 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (5) and biological (2).

Declarations including Terrell County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-09-26EM-3616Tropical StormHurricane Helene
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
2005-09-05EM-3218HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
1998-03-11DR-1209Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
1994-07-07DR-1033TornadoTornadoes, Flooding Torrential Rain(Trop Storm Alberto)

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 Terrell County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 10 flood or flash flood records for Terrell County from 1998 to 2025, on 9 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Terrell County ranks 2523rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.

Named storms on Terrell County's flood and tropical record
StormBeganRecordsDeaths in the county
Hurricane Michael2018-10-1010
Hurricane Irma2017-09-1010

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $58,000 on 6 claims filed in Terrell County; the most in one year was 2 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1998: 2 · 2012: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2020: 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 Terrell County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Terrell County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.7 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 Terrell County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
DroughtRelatively Moderate$878K52 modeled event-days a year
HurricaneRelatively Low$590Konce in about 7 years (modeled)
HailRelatively Low$199K1.8 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Low$920Konce in about 4 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Low$125K70 a year (modeled)
Cold WaveRelatively Low$494K2.2 a year (modeled)
WildfireVery Low$21Konce in about 1,866 years (modeled)
EarthquakeVery Low$114Konce in about 752 years (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Terrell County

  1. Dougherty County 471
  2. Sumter County 388
  3. Lee County 311
  4. Terrell County 219
  5. Randolph County 196
  6. Webster County 160
  7. Calhoun County 150

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

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