Georgia tornadoes
Every recorded tornado since 1950 · 158 counties with a record
Georgia has recorded 2,014 tornadoes from 1950 through 2025, about 39 a year since 2000, with 91 rated F3/EF3 or stronger (NOAA Storm Prediction Center). The deadliest was the April 30, 1953 Warner Robins tornado (18 deaths in Georgia). Georgia ranks 15th of 52 states and territories by count and 18th of 51 per square mile.
Tornadoes in Georgia, 1950 to 2025
Tornadoes per year (SPC; a tornado that crossed a state line counts in each state it touched).
- 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
- 1996: tornado reports rose with NEXRAD Doppler radar, mid-1990s (SPC)
- Tornadoes
- 2,0141950 to 2025
- A year since 2000
- 39average
- Deaths
- 2274,266 injuries
- F3/EF3 or stronger
- 915% of tornadoes
- Busiest year
- 2017118 tornadoes
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025 (state segments). SPC severe weather database.
Are tornadoes common in Georgia?
Georgia averages about 39 tornadoes a year since 2000, 15th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2017 (118). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Georgia records 349 tornadoes since 1950, 18th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA SPC, tornadoes 1950-2025, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Georgia have the most tornadoes?
Per square mile, Spalding County leads Georgia: 19 days with a tornado record since 1950, 97.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Early County has the most tornado records (39 since 1950); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1950 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is tornado season in Georgia?
Georgia's tornadoes by month. The busiest month is April (449 tornadoes).
The values, month by month
Jan 201 · Feb 148 · Mar 288 · Apr 449 · May 240 · Jun 122 · Jul 77 · Aug 81 · Sep 86 · Oct 62 · Nov 123 · Dec 137 (records).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments by the month they began, 1950-2025.
What were the deadliest tornadoes in Georgia?
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Killed | Injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-04-30 | Warner Robins · Houston | F4 | 1 mi | 18 | 300 |
| 1998-03-20 | Clermont · Hall, White | F3 | 4 mi | 12 | 171 |
| 2000-02-13 | Camilla · Mitchell | F3 | 9.2 mi | 11 | 175 |
| 2017-01-22 | Nashville · Brooks, Cook, Berrien | EF3 | 24.66 mi | 11 | 45 |
| 1994-03-27 | Jasper · Bartow, Gordon, Cherokee, Pickens | F3 | 40 mi | 9 | 70 |
| 1974-04-03 | Resaca to Chatsworth · Gordon, Whitfield, Murray | F4 | 29.5 mi | 9 | 67 |
| 2011-04-27 | Cleveland · CatoosaWhole track: GA, TN; 20 deaths | EF4 | 10.7 mi | 8 | 30 |
| 2020-04-12 | Chatsworth · Murray | EF2 | 8.88 mi | 8 | 24 |
| 2000-02-13 | Meigs · Grady, Thomas, Mitchell | F3 | 15 mi | 7 | 15 |
| 2003-03-20 | Camilla · Mitchell, Worth | F3 | 25 mi | 6 | 200 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (state segments: deaths and path inside Georgia), 1950-2025; counties are the first four the SPC lists for the segment. SPC severe weather database.
Where have the strongest tornadoes tracked in Georgia?
- F2/EF2
- F3/EF3
- F4/EF4
- F5/EF5
- no end point filed
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, start and end points of each track; county lines: Census Bureau cartographic boundaries (2017), via us-atlas. SPC severe weather database. Census cartographic boundary files.
The strongest tornadoes in Georgia
| Date | Counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-04-30 | Warner Robins · Houston | F4 | 1 mi | 333 yd | 18 |
| 1974-04-03 | Resaca to Chatsworth · Gordon, Whitfield, Murray | F4 | 29.5 mi | 200 yd | 9 |
| 2011-04-27 | Cleveland · Catoosa | EF4 | 10.7 mi | 586 yd | 8 |
| 1974-04-03 | Nelson · Pickens, Dawson, Lumpkin | F4 | 17.7 mi | 200 yd | 6 |
| 1992-11-22 | White Plains · Putnam, Greene | F4 | 32 mi | 867 yd | 5 |
| 1994-03-27 | Cartersville · Floyd, Bartow, Cherokee, Pickens | F4 | 49 mi | 1,760 yd | 3 |
| 2022-04-05 | Pembroke · Bryan | EF4 | 14.39 mi | 1,300 yd | 1 |
| 2021-03-25 | Newnan to Peachtree · Heard, Coweta, Fayette | EF4 | 38.56 mi | 1,850 yd | 0 |
| 1992-11-22 | Kennesaw to Woodstock · Cobb, Cherokee | F4 | 20 mi | 867 yd | 0 |
| 2008-05-11 | McIntosh | EF4 | 11 mi | 700 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database; F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after.
The longest tornado paths in Georgia
| Date | Tornado and counties | Rating | Path in state | Width | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-04-18 | Bainbridge to Hinesville · Seminole, Decatur, Grady, Mitchell | F2 | 217.8 mi | 233 yd | 0 |
| 2023-01-12 | Jenkinsburg · Spalding, Butts, Newton, Jasper | EF2 | 125.76 mi | 1,400 yd | 4 |
| 1975-01-12 | Bainbridge · Seminole, Decatur, Mitchell, Worth | F2 | 105.3 mi | 100 yd | 0 |
| 1974-04-08 | Baconton to Enigma · Mitchell, Worth, Tift, Berrien | F1 | 92.6 mi | 250 yd | 1 |
| 1964-12-24 | Tyrone to Stockbridge · Troup, Meriwether, Spalding, Henry | F3 | 75.4 mi | 400 yd | 0 |
| 1957-04-05 | Warner Robins · Schley, Macon, Peach, Houston | F2 | 75 mi | 400 yd | 2 |
| 1973-03-31 | Stonecrest to Monroe · Clayton, Screven, DeKalb, Rockdale | F2 | 72.4 mi | 500 yd | 2 |
| 2017-01-22 | Albany · Dougherty, Worth, Turner, Wilcox | EF3 | 70.4 mi | 2,200 yd | 5 |
| 1963-01-20 | Fort Gaines to Dawson · Clay, Randolph, Terrell, Lee | F1 | 70.2 mi | 500 yd | 1 |
| 1962-03-31 | Tift, Colquitt, Bacon | F1 | 61.2 mi | 200 yd | 0 |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments: path length and width inside the state. SPC severe weather database.
Tornadoes in every Georgia county
All 158 counties: tornadoes whose track touched each, and the strongest
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database: whole tornadoes whose track touched the county (any state segment listing it). SPC severe weather database.
Is Georgia in Tornado Alley?
Tornado Alley has no official boundary; the Storm Prediction Center calls it a media nickname for the central U.S. area of relatively high tornado occurrence. By the record, Georgia ranks 13th of 50 states for tornadoes rated 1 or higher per square mile since 1950 (239 per 10,000 square miles), and it lies in the Southeast area often called Dixie Alley.
Tornado Alley, measured: the states by density and maps of where tornadoes began in two eras.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database and Online Tornado FAQ. SPC's tornado FAQ.
The costliest tornadoes in Georgia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | TornadoPretoria, Dougherty County A large, long-track tornado touched down near Dougherty/Baker Co. line and traveled over 70 miles across Dougherty, Worth, Turner, and Wilcox Counties in South Georgia. The tornado lifted just east of Abbeville. The tornado caused significant damage along the track, resulting in 5 fatalities in Albany. Severe tree ... | EF3 23.36 mi x 2,200 yd | 5 | 32 | $361M |
| 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 |
| 2005-07-06 | TornadoHampton, Henry County A National Weather Service damage survey confirmed an F2 tornado, the strongest tornado of the evening associated with the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy, touched down just a few hundred yards south of McDonough Street at the Atlanta Motor Speedway then traveled north-northwest passing just east of Lovejoy in ... | F2 9 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $106M |
| 1993-10-30 | TornadoAlbany To, Lee County A tornado struck a subdivision five miles north of Albany and killed three people and injured another 27. At least 42 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Also, fifteen mobile homes were completely destroyed by the F2 tornado. The three fatalities occurred in a mobile home and all three victims bodies were blown ... | F2 5 mi x 750 yd | 3 | 27 | $102M |
| 1993-02-21 | TornadoLost Mountain To, Cobb County The tornado touched down near Lost Mountain in Western Cobb County and proceded on an east southeat path across rural portions of the county, initially uprooting mainly trees and downing power lines. As the tornado moved over Marietta it touched down and caused severe damage to two condominium complexes, a large strip ... | F3 8 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 3 | $102M |
| 1998-04-08 | TornadoNorcross, Gwinnett County Significant widespread damage continued into Gwinnett county in a path from Norcross through Duluth and Suwanee to north of Lawrenceville. Large trees were knocked down or snapped. Many of them fell on homes and apartments causing damage. Roofs were torn off of houses. At least 5000 homes were affected. Ten people at ... | F2 15 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 10 | $91M |
| 2013-01-30 | TornadoAdairsville, Bartow County A tornado touched down just southwest of Adairsville at approximately 1112 AM EST. The tornado strengthened to high-end EF-3 in Adairsville where dozens of homes were damaged or destroyed. At least 95 structures were damaged, with 31 destroyed, 17 sustaining major damage, and 47 with minor damage. Most of the damage ... | EF3 5.06 mi x 900 yd | 1 | 9 | $76M |
| 1998-04-09 | TornadoHinesville, Liberty County F2 tornado moved from Long County into Liberty County, which encompasses much of Fort Stewart Army Base. One soldier was killed while in an administrative building and seven others were injured. Seven buildings were destroyed while another fifty-five(55) suffered different degrees of damage. | F2 17 mi x 400 yd | 1 | 7 | $69M |
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, in 2025 dollars.
Are tornadoes becoming more frequent in Georgia?
Georgia's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. The Storm Prediction Center notes that tornado reports rose especially around the installation of the NEXRAD Doppler radar network in the mid-1990s, so a rising count is partly better detection; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Georgia | United States | Georgia's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 128 | 4,837 | 2.6% |
| 1960s | 190 | 6,863 | 2.8% |
| 1970s | 262 | 8,633 | 3.0% |
| 1980s | 181 | 8,250 | 2.2% |
| 1990s | 239 | 12,205 | 2.0% |
| 2000s | 377 | 12,892 | 2.9% |
| 2010s | 359 | 12,232 | 2.9% |
| 2020-25 | 278 | 8,234 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, state segments.
The most recent tornadoes in Georgia
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-16 | TornadoPayne City, Bibb County | EF0 1.94 mi x 320 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | TornadoSalem, Upson County | EF0 1.65 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | TornadoCrest, Upson County | EF0 3.02 mi x 360 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-16 | TornadoSnapfinger, DeKalb County | EF0 2.77 mi x 135 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoHarlow, Laurens County | EF0 2.57 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoRentz, Laurens County | EF1 0.83 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoJeffersonville, Twiggs County | EF1 3.24 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoBlandy, Baldwin County | EF0 3.56 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoPinehurst, Dooly County | EF0 2.41 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoBarrington, Houston County | EF1 1.12 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoLakeview, Peach County | EF1 2.16 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-12 | TornadoRivoli, Bibb County | EF1 3.39 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for tornadoes in Georgia
FEMA has declared 25 disasters in Georgia for tornadoes, counting its incident type and declarations that name tornado in the title (FEMA files most storm disasters under Severe Storm); 23 were major disasters, the latest on January 16, 2023.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-16 | DR-4685 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 9 |
| 2021-05-05 | DR-4600 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 9 |
| 2017-01-26 | DR-4297 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 23 |
| 2017-01-25 | DR-4294 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 7 |
| 2011-04-29 | DR-1973 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Associated Flooding | 26 |
| 2009-04-23 | DR-1833 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 47 |
| 2008-05-23 | DR-1761 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 14 |
| 2008-03-20 | DR-1750 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 7 |
| 2007-03-03 | DR-1686 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 16 |
| 2000-02-15 | DR-1315 | Severe Storms/Tornados | 6 |
| 1999-04-20 | DR-1271 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 2 |
| 1995-12-20 | DR-1076 | Severe Storms and Tornadoes | 1 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Spalding County: the county's whole recordThe Georgia county with the most tornadoes per square mile
- Tornadoes across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in GeorgiaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in Georgia24,657 records
- Hail in Georgia8,810 records
- Drought in Georgia5,192 records