List of Georgia hurricanes

The list of Georgia hurricanes includes tropical or subtropical cyclones that have affected the U.S. state of Georgia. Fewer hurricanes have hit Georgia directly (due to its location and shorter coastline) than other states in the Southeast, with an estimated return period of 10–11 years. The last system to make landfall in the state at hurricane intensity was Hurricane David in 1979. Further, only three major hurricanes have struck Georgia, the most recent of which being in 1898. However, numerous tropical cyclones have passed near or through the state.

Surface weather analysis of the 1898 Georgia hurricane on October 2. That hurricane was the strongest hurricane on record to hit the state and was the most recent major hurricane to strike Georgia.

List of storms

Saffir–Simpson scale
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Most of the following are tropical cyclones that passed through the states after weakening from their peak.

Pre-1950

1950–1959

1960–1969

Rainfall totals associated with Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine

1970–1979

1980–1989

1990–1999

Tropical Storm Alberto making landfall in Florida in 1994; Alberto became the costliest tropical cyclone in the history of Georgia

2000–2009

Map of rainfall totals associated with Tropical Storm Allison
  • September 18–19, 2000 – Hurricane Gordon crossed the state as it was weakening and transitioning into an extratropical cyclone. The storm produced light rainfall in southeastern Georgia, peaking at 4.14 inches (105 mm) in Woodbine.[4]
  • September 22–23, 2000 – Tropical Storm Helene moved across Georgia and dropped rainfall across much of the state, with a peak total of 5.13 inches (130 mm) in Dunwoody.[4]
  • June 11–13, 2001 – Tropical Storm Allison brought heavy rain and flooding to many counties in central and east central Georgia. Precipitation in the state peaked at 12.56 inches (319 mm) near Quitman.[4] In the cities of Athens, Crawfordville, Eatonton, Lexington, Milledgeville, 24 hour rainfall amounts of 5 to 8 inches (130 to 200 mm) were common. The Little River crested at its highest level on record, while the Oconee River exceeded flood stage by 2 feet (0.61 m). Several counties were impacted by flooding, with many roads and bridges being washed out. In Greene County, a bridge was washed out, leaving 25 residents of a neighborhood stranded. Over 20 roads were inundated in the county; Baldwin, Brooks, Lowndes, Pulaski, Putnam, and Taliaferro counties also reported that numerous secondary roads and some state highways were flooded. In Pulaski County, a road in the southwest part of the county was washed out, leaving a 10 feet (3.0 m) canyon. In Milledgeville, an Animal Hospital had to be evacuated when a nearby creek rising out of its banks threatened to flood the facility.[16]
  • August 4–7, 2001 – Tropical Storm Barry dropped light rainfall in Georgia, peaking at 2.39 inches (61 mm) in Valdosta.[17]
  • September 11–13, 2001 – The outer bands of Hurricane Gabrielle produced 3.84 inches (98 mm) of precipitation in Brunswick.[4]
  • July 9–13, 2002 – The precursor to Tropical Storm Arthur dropped light rainfall in the state, with up to 3.68 inches (93 mm) near Dallas.[4]
  • August 4, 2002 – The outer bands of Tropical Storm Bertha dropped minimal amounts of precipitation in southeastern Georgia.[4]
  • Tropical Storm Hanna (2002)  - Hanna dropped heavy rainfall across much of Georgia, peaking at 15.56 inches (395 mm) at Donalsonville, 12.47 inches (317 mm) at Carrollton, and 11.23 in (285 mm) at Embry. The heavy rainfall helped to relieve a persistent drought. However, climatologists determined that the rainfall did not fully alleviate the dry conditions.[18] The band of thunderstorms produced gusts of 40 to 50 mph (64 to 80 km/h), downing trees and power lines. In the Atlanta area, 48,000 customers experienced power outages.[19] The winds tore a roof off a house and damaged a number of mobile homes. The heavy rainfall caused severe flooding; in Donalsonville, 250 houses and 50 businesses suffered water damage, while another 35 were damaged in nearby Miller County.[20] Roads were flooded, including parts of U.S. Route 27.[21] Crop damage was significant in the state; about $19 million in damage to cotton and peanut crops were reported.
  • Hurricane Isidore  - Weakening Hurricane Isidore produced wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph (48 to 56 km/h) in northern Georgia. With saturated soils across the region from recent heavy rainfall, several weak and small trees were blown down. Some of the trees fell down on power lines. The hardest hit areas included Blairsville, Blue Ridge, Cedartown, and Ellijay. Catoosa, Floyd, Gilmer, Gordon, Murray, Union, and Whitfield counties all reported that a number of trees and power lines were down. In Union County, nearly two dozen trees were blown down, one of which caused damage to a house. Rainfall from the storm peaked at 5.12 inches (130 mm) near Mountain City, causing local flooding in some areas. In Lawrenceville, two offices of the Gwinnett Daily Post flooded. At one of the office buildings, there was up to 1 foot (0.30 m) of standing water, a floating concrete slab, and about 2,300 sections of paper and advertisements were soaked. Mud and other debris was also reported in the two buildings.
  • October 9–11, 2002 – Hurricane Kyle dropped moderate rainfall that peaked at 5.35 inches (136 mm) at Hunter Army Airfield.[22] Most of the precipitation fell in a 12-hour period, which flooded roads and low-lying areas; several roads were closed, and numerous vehicles stalled in the floodwaters.
Tree damage from a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Bill in Morgan County
  • Tropical Storm Bill (2003) – The storm produced moderate rainfall in northwestern Georgia, which peaked at 7.1 inches (180 mm) in Monroe. Precipitation caused flooding in numerous locations around the Atlanta metropolitan area, leaving some roads impassable or closed. An F1 tornado touched down near Pennington and caused severe damage to two dairy sheds, a tractor, and three metal storage buildings. The tornado then destroyed a hay barn, a carport, and a car inside the carport as well, while also causing a tree to fall. It continued through a forested area, toppling hundreds of trees. As it entered a more urban area, it downed 30 isolated trees, some of which fell on a portion of Interstate 20, temporarily closing the roadway. The tornado damaged seven houses, primarily to roof damage, although one experienced damage to several windows, while another had a utility trailer and a car damaged by fallen trees; a commercial building was damaged as well. An F2 tornado in Clito knocked down trees and damaged mobile homes. Severe thunderstorms caused considerable damage to a house near Louisville and knocked down several trees. Bill also caused thunderstorms in Kite which uprooted several trees onto a car and a house. One man in Atlanta died due to a falling tree. Damage totaled to $244,500.
  • Tropical Depression Seven (2003) – Made landfall near St. Catherines Island. It brought light rainfall to the eastern and southern portions of Georgia, peaking at 5.17 inches (131 mm) in Savannah.
  • Tropical Storm Grace (2003) – Brought light and isolated rainfall to Georgia, generally about 1 inch (25 mm).
  • Tropical Storm Henri (2003) – The outerbands brought generally light rainfall to the southern portions of the state, reaching about 5 inches (130 mm).
  • Tropical Storm Bonnie (2004) – This storm dropped generally light rainfall in Georgia.
  • Hurricane Charley – The outerbands of Hurricane Charley bring light precipitation to most of coastal and central Georgia.
  • Hurricane Frances – Frances dumped up to 5 inches (130 mm) of rain onto the state and caused the closings of schools in 56 counties. Across Georgia, winds of 30 to 40 miles per hour (48 to 64 km/h) and gusts to 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) led to the downing of tree branches and power lines,[23] which left up to 380,000 residences without power.[24] Significant crop damage occurred, particularly to the cotton and the peanut crops. On average, 30 percent of the crops were lost during Frances.[25]
  • Hurricane Ivan
  • Hurricane Jeanne
  • Tropical Storm Matthew (2004) – The remnants of Tropical Storm Matthew brought light rainfall to northern Georgia.
  • Tropical Storm Arlene (2005) – Tropical Storm Arlene brought rainfall to much of the state, causing localized flooding. In Towns County, multiple residents were forced evacuate due to overflowing creeks and rivers in the northern portion of Georgia.
A tornado spawned by Hurricane Cindy damaged the Atlanta Motor Speedway

2010–2019

2020–present

Effects

NameSaffir–Simpson
Category
Date of closest approachYear
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
August 24
1851
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
October 10
1852
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
October 21
1853
"Great Carolina"
Category 3 hurricane
September 8
1854
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
August 31
1856
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
October 3
1877
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
September 11
1878
Unnamed
Category 2 hurricane
August 28
1881
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
August 25
1885
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
June 21
1886
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
June 30
1886
"Sea Islands"
Category 3 hurricane
August 28
1893
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
October 9
1894
Unnamed
Category 2 hurricane
September 29
1896
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
August 31
1898
Unnamed
Category 4 hurricane
October 2
1898
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
August 28
1911
"Okeechobee"
Category 1 hurricane
September 18
1928
"Labor Day"
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
September 5
1935
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
August 11
1940
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
October 7
1941
Unnamed
Category 2 hurricane
October 15
1947
Unnamed
Category 1 hurricane
August 27
1949
David
Category 2 hurricane
September 4
1979
Kate
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
November 22
1985
Matthew
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 2]
October 8
2016
Michael
Category 2 hurricane
[notes 1]
October 10
2018
Idalia
Category 1 hurricane
[notes 1]
August 30
2023
Sources: Chronological List of All Hurricanes which Affected the Continental United States: 1851–2012[41]
Documentation of Atlantic Tropical Cyclones Changes in HURDAT[42]

Notes

References