Georgia natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 10,695,030 · 159 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 56,834 storm events in Georgia since 1950, 49,873 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 2,014 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events (24,657). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest storm in Georgia is Hurricane Helene (September 27, 2024): 32 deaths, 87 injuries and $2.6 billion in damage in 2025 dollars across 30 records filed by several offices. FEMA has made 81 declarations for Georgia since 1953, 79 for natural hazards; 51 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Georgia 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 56,8341950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 4575,422 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $24.9Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 2,0141950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 8151 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Georgia?

By NOAA's records, Georgia's most frequent hazards are severe thunderstorm wind events (24,657), hail reports (8,810), drought records (5,192); the deadliest are tornadoes (220 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Georgia: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Severe thunderstorm wind	24,657	8,422	62	482	$802M	159 of 159
Hail	8,810	1,079	0	17	$548M	159 of 159
Drought	5,192	1,234	0	0	$1.1B	154 of 159
Winter storms	3,362	772	13	65	$34M	159 of 159
Floods	3,250	1,317	18	18	$962M	159 of 159
Hurricanes and tropical storms	2,359	656	43	110	$5.5B	159 of 159
Tornadoes	2,356	595	220	4,351	$15.3B	158 of 159
Extreme cold	1,561	120	1	0	$242M	144 of 159
Heat	1,333	101	21	3	–	139 of 159
Lightning	1,315	157	40	285	$151M	147 of 159
High wind and dust storms	1,199	141	17	44	$110M	143 of 159
Heavy rain	682	173	5	13	$4.2M	143 of 159
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	452	32	7	7	$1.1M	135 of 159
Wildfires	215	27	0	13	$90M	36 of 159
Rip currents and high surf	85	38	10	14	$25K	6 of 159
Landslides and avalanches	6	3	0	0	$417K	5 of 159

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Georgia?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Georgia: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2024-09-27	Hurricane Helene · Tropical StormRichmond County · forecast zone Richmond One named storm filed by several offices: 30 records in 5 episodes; the totals are the storm's. Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central ...		32	87	$2.6B
1953-04-30	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Warner Robins, killed 18 (SPC) · TornadoHouston County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (6, in 5 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 1 mi x 333 yd	20	313	$25M step
2000-02-13	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Camilla, killed 11 (SPC) · TornadoCamilla, Mitchell County One storm episode: 8 records in 6 places, 2000-02-13 to 2000-02-14; the totals are the episode's. A strong tornado tore through two major subdivisions and four mobile home parks just south of Camilla after touching down just east of Branchville. Damage assessments from the American Red Cross and Federal Emergency Management Agency reported 200 homes destroyed and 250 homes were damaged. Two miles south of Camilla ...	F3 9.2 mi x 300 yd	19	202	$58M
2017-01-22	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Nashville, killed 11 (SPC) · TornadoGreggs, Cook County One storm episode: 17 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. A multi-day severe weather event struck the southeast January 21-22, 2017 with three rounds of severe weather moving through the area. The first round of severe weather started during the mid-morning hours on Saturday, January 21, 2017 as a squall line pushed into southeast Alabama and the Florida panhandle. As it ...	EF3 10.9 mi x 700 yd	16	137	$378M
1974-04-03	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Resaca to Chatsworth, killed 9 (SPC) · TornadoGordon County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (16, in 14 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F4 6.6 mi x 150 yd	16	122	$2.5M step
2011-04-27	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Cleveland, killed 8 in the state (20 on its whole track, SPC) · TornadoBlue Spring, Catoosa County One named storm filed by several offices: 42 records in 2 episodes, 2011-04-27 to 2011-04-28; the totals are the storm's. A highly diffluent, deep upper trough, centered across Texas, took on a negative tilt and began to rotate northeast during this period. A strong maritime-Pacific (mP) cold front accompanied the upper trough through the mid-south into the southeast from the early morning hours of the 27th to the early morning hours of ...	EF4 10.7 mi x 586 yd	15	143	$243M
1998-03-20	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Clermont, killed 12 (SPC) · TornadoMurrayville, Hall County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The tornado began in northwest Hall county and moved into southern White county. Total distance covered was about 13 miles. Aerial and ground surveys by NWS employees showed extensive damage along the path. There was significant damage to Lanier Elementary School and North Hall High School. Houses, trailers, ...	F3 9 mi x 100 yd	12	171	$36M
2009-09-20	Flash FloodDglasvle Pinewood Ar, Douglas County One storm episode: 49 records in 17 places, 2009-09-20 to 2009-09-21; the totals are the episode's. A historical, record, and catastrophic flood event unfolded during this period, mostly in the west central Georgia area, including the western and northwestern suburbs of Atlanta. Major flooding was noted in many other areas of north and central Georgia, including the eastern suburbs of Atlanta, northwest Georgia, and ...		10	3	$368M
2007-03-01	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Putney, killed 6 (SPC) · TornadoNewton, Baker County One named storm filed by several offices: 29 records in 2 episodes, 2007-03-01 to 2007-03-02; the totals are the storm's. Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon of March 1 ahead of advancing warm front across southwest Georgia, producing several reports of wind damage. Later that evening into the predawn hours of March 2, a squall line formed ahead of a cold front, with several reports of wind damage and tornadoes across ...	EF2 14.8 mi x 200 yd	9	33	$213M
2020-04-12	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Chatsworth, killed 8 (SPC) · TornadoTreadwell, Murray County One storm episode: 25 records in 21 places, 2020-04-12 to 2020-04-13; the totals are the episode's. A powerful Spring storm system resulted in a Severe Weather / Tornado outbreak across much of the Southeast region, including north and central Georgia, beginning on Easter Sunday (April 12th) and lingering into the morning hours of April 13th. From the Storm Prediction Center (Day 1) convective outlook, just about ...	EF2 8.88 mi x 860 yd	9	27	$16M

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: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Georgia

Georgia: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2018-10-10	Hurricane (Typhoon)Decatur County · forecast zone Decatur		0	0	$940M
2018-10-10	Hurricane (Typhoon)Miller County · forecast zone Miller		0	0	$881M
2018-10-10	Hurricane (Typhoon)Early County · forecast zone Early		0	0	$764M
2024-09-26	Hurricane (Typhoon)Lowndes County · forecast zone Lowndes		2	77	$564M
2007-09-01	DroughtBaldwin County · forecast zone Baldwin		0	0	$490M
2018-10-10	Hurricane (Typhoon)Dougherty County · forecast zone Dougherty		0	0	$483M
2024-09-27	Tropical StormRichmond County · forecast zone Richmond		7	0	$471M
2017-01-22	TornadoPretoria, Dougherty County	EF3 23.36 mi x 2,200 yd	5	32	$361M

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 $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: March 24, 1975 (tornado, Fulton County, 3 killed); March 31, 1973 (tornado, Walton County, 1 killed); March 31, 1973 (tornado, Clarke County, 1 killed); March 31, 1973 (tornado, Clayton County); March 31, 1973 (tornado, Oconee County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Georgia have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Georgia

Billion-dollar disasters in Georgia

NOAA counted 134 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Georgia, led by severe storm (68). The most recent: Hurricane Helene (2024); Hurricane Francine (2024); Hurricane Debby (2024).

Georgia: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	68	$10.0B-$20.0B
Tropical Cyclone	27	$20.0B-$50.0B
Drought	17	$5.0B-$10.0B
Winter Storm	12	$2.0B-$5.0B
Flooding	4	$1.0B-$2.0B
Freeze	3	$1.0B-$2.0B
Wildfire	3	$250M-$500M

Every one of the 134, newest first

Hurricane Helene2024
Hurricane Francine2024
Hurricane Debby2024
Central and Eastern Tornado Outbreak and Severe Weather2024
Southern Derecho2024
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak2024
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Southern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2024
Southern Tornado Outbreak and East Coast Storm2024
Southern/Eastern/Northwestern Drought and Heat Wave2024
East Coast Storm and Flooding2023
Hurricane Idalia2023
Northeastern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
North Central and Southeastern Severe Weather2023
Central Severe Weather2023
Rockies Hail Storms and Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Southern Severe Weather2023
Southern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Hail Storms2023
Southern Severe Weather2023
Southern/Midwestern Drought and Heatwave2023
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Southern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
Hurricane Nicole2022
Hurricane Ian2022
Central Derecho2022
Southeast Tornado Outbreak2022
Southern Tornado Outbreak2022
Hurricane Ida2021
Tropical Storm Fred2021
Tropical Storm Elsa2021
Southern Tornadoes and Southeast Severe Weather2021
Eastern Severe Weather2021
Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2021
Tropical Storm Eta2020
Hurricane Zeta2020
Hurricane Delta2020
Hurricane Sally2020
Hurricane Isaias2020
South, Central and Eastern Severe Weather2020
Southern Severe Weather2020
Southeast and Eastern Tornado Outbreak2020
South, East and Northeast Severe Weather2020
Southeast Tornadoes and Northern Storms and Flooding2020
Hurricane Dorian2019
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2019
Hurricane Michael2018
Hurricane Florence2018
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Southern and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Southeastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Central and Eastern Winter Storm2018
Hurricane Irma2017
Southeast Severe Weather and Tornadoes2017
Southeast Freeze2017
Central/Southeast Tornado Outbreak2017
Southern Tornado Outbreak and Western Storms2017
Hurricane Matthew2016
Western/Southeast Wildfires2016
South/Southeast Tornadoes2016
Southeast and Eastern Tornadoes2016
West/Northeast/Southeast Drought2016
Texas and Oklahoma Flooding and Severe Weather2015
South and Southeast Severe Weather2015
South/Southeast Severe Weather2015
Central and Eastern Winter storm, Cold Wave2015
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Tornadoes and Flooding2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm2014
Midwest/Plains/East Tornadoes2013
Southeast Severe Weather2013
Southeast/Ohio Valley Tornadoes2012
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Tropical Storm Lee2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2011
Southeast/Ohio Valley/Midwest Tornadoes2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Derecho2011
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought and Heat Wave2011
Rockies/Central/East Severe Weather2010
East/South Flooding and Severe Weather2010
Georgia Flooding2009
South/Southeast Severe Weather and Tornadoes2009
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2009
Southeast Tornadoes2008
U.S. Drought2008
Western/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave2007
Western Wildfires2007
East/South Severe Weather and Flooding2007
Spring Freeze2007
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2006
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Drought2006
Hurricane Katrina2005
Hurricane Dennis2005
Southeast Severe Weather2005
Hurricane Jeanne2004
Hurricane Ivan2004
Hurricane Frances2004
Southern Derecho and Eastern Severe Weather2003
Severe Storms/Tornadoes2003
Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Storms2002
Western Fire Season2002
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2002
U.S. Drought2002
Western/Central/Southeast Drought/Heat Wave2000
Southeast Winter Storm2000
Eastern Drought/Heat Wave1999
Oklahoma and Kansas Tornadoes1999
Central and Eastern Winter Storm1999
Southern Drought and Heat Wave1998
Western/Eastern Severe Weather and Flooding1997
Mississippi and Ohio Valley Severe Weather and Flooding1997
Hurricane Opal1995
Central, Southern and Northeast Drought/Heat Wave1995
Tropical Storm Alberto1994
Southeast Ice Storm1994
Southeast Drought and Heat Wave1993
East Coast Blizzard and Severe Weather1993
Southeast Severe Weather1992
Severe Storms, Tornadoes1991
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1989
Southern Derecho and Severe Storms1989
Southeast Drought/Heat Wave1986
Winter Storm, Cold Wave1985
Tornadoes, Severe Storms, Floods1984
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Southeast Drought1983
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982
Central/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave1980

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Georgia, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Georgia

FEMA has made 81 declarations for Georgia since 1953: 51 major disasters, 16 emergencies and 14 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are severe storm (17), hurricane (16), fire (14).

1950s 2
1960s 5
1970s 10
1980s 1
1990s 14
2000s 16
2010s 20
2020s 13

The 15 most recent declarations in Georgia
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-04-22	FM-5630	Fire	Highway 82 Fire	1
2026-04-21	FM-5629	Fire	Pineland Road Fire	2
2026-01-24	EM-3642	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	112
2024-09-30	DR-4830	Hurricane	Hurricane Helene	94
2024-09-26	EM-3616	Tropical Storm	Hurricane Helene	159
2024-09-24	DR-4821	Tropical Storm	Tropical Storm Debby	35
2024-08-05	EM-3607	Tropical Storm	Hurricane Debby	55
2023-09-07	DR-4738	Hurricane	Hurricane Idalia	32
2023-01-16	DR-4685	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes	9
2021-05-05	DR-4600	Severe Storm	Severe Storms and Tornadoes	9
2021-01-12	DR-4579	Hurricane	Tropical Storm Zeta	21
2020-03-29	DR-4501	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	160
2020-03-13	EM-3464	Biological	Covid-19	160
2019-09-01	EM-3422	Hurricane	Hurricane Dorian	12
2018-10-14	DR-4400	Hurricane	Hurricane Michael	69

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Georgia

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $520 million on 24,418 claims in 142 Georgia counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Georgia's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Georgia's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively High 4
Relatively Moderate 12
Relatively Low 53
Very Low 90

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