Hurricanes In Georgia (U.S. State)

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 four major hurricanes have struck Georgia, the most recent of which being Michael in 2018. However, numerous tropical cyclones have passed near or through the state.

List of storms

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

Pre-1950

*August 27, 1893 – Sea Islands Hurricane hit Sea Islands, causing major damage.
*August 30-September 1, 1898 – second storm hit "near South Carolina border", putting it at mouth of Savannah River just downstream from Savannah.
*October 2, 1898 – 1898 Georgia hurricane struck Cumberland Island as a category 4 hurricane with winds, causing heavy damage amounting to around $1 million, and 179 casualties.

1950–1959

*Hurricane Baker (1950)
*Hurricane Easy (1950)
*Hurricane King
* Hurricane Able (1951)
* Hurricane Able (1952)
* Tropical Storm Alice (1953)
* Hurricane Florence (1953)
* Tropical Storm Hazel (1953)
* Tropical Storm One (1956)
* Hurricane Flossy (1956)
*Unnamed Subtropical Cyclone 1956
* Tropical Storm One (1957)
* Hurricane Audrey
* Tropical Storm Debbie (1957)
* Tropical Storm Esther (1957)
* Tropical Storm Arlene (1959)
*1959 Escuminac disaster
* Hurricane Cindy (1959)
*Hurricane Gracie
*Tropical Storm Irene (1959)

1960–1969

*Tropical Storm Brenda (1960)
*Hurricane Donna
*Hurricane Ethel (1960)
* Tropical Storm Florence (1960)
*Hurricane Alma (1962)
* September Gulf of Mexico tropical depression (1962)
* Tropical Storm One (1964)
* Hurricane Cleo
*Hurricane Dora
*Hurricane Hilda
*June 11-15, 1965 – An unnamed tropical storm produces rainfall across much of Georgia, with a peak amount of in Adel.
*September 10-12, 1965 – The outer bands of Hurricane Betsy drop light rainfall in the state, peaking at in Ailey.
*September 30-October 1, 1965 – The remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie result in precipitation across much of Georgia, with up to observed in Greenville. In the Brunswick area, heavy rains flooded airfields and canals.
*June 9-12, 1966 – Tropical Storm Alma produced wind gusts and in Savannah. High winds damaged a few houses and downed trees near Albany, Georgia. The winds overturned a bus at Fort Gordon, injuring 11 soldiers. The storm caused about $50,000 in damage in the state.
*June 6-7, 1968 – Tropical Storm Abby brought rainfall to much of Georgia, peaking at at the Blackbeard Island National Wildlife Refuge. Sustained winds between downed power lines. Tides of above normal caused minor coastal flooding. Overall, damage was minor, reaching less than $100,000.
*October 19-20, 1968 – Hurricane Gladys dropped rain across roughly two-thirds of Georgia, with a peak amount of near Jesup.
*August 17-20, 1969 – The outer bands of Hurricane Camille drop light rainfall, particularly in the northern portions of the state, peaking at near Elberton.
*September 20-22, 1969 – Tropical Depression Twenty-Nine dropped torrential rainfall across southwestern Georgia, with up to observed in Attapulgus. Severe local flooding ensued, particularly in Decatur County, causing damage to property and crops, mostly to peanuts that were not threshed.
*October 1-2, 1969 – A subtropical storm brought light rainfall to the eastern portions of the state, peaking at in Folkston.

1970–1979

*May 24–26, 1970 – Tropical Depression Alma drops light rainfall in Georgia, peaking at in Alapaha.
* Tropical Storm Becky (1970)
*Tropical Depression Eight (1971)
*Tropical Storm Doria (1971)
*Tropical Depression Eleven (1971)
*Hurricane Edith (1971)
* Subtropical Storm Alpha (1972)
*Hurricane Agnes
* Hurricane Dawn (1972)
*Tropical Depression Eleven (1973)
*Tropical Depression Thirteen (1973)
* 1974 Florida subtropical storm
*Hurricane Carmen
* Tropical Storm Amy (1975)
* Tropical Depression Nine (1975)
*Hurricane Eloise
*Tropical Depression Twenty-Two (1975)
* Subtropical Storm One (1976)
*Tropical Storm Dottie
* Subtropical Storm Three (1976)
* Hurricane Babe (1977)
*Tropical Depression One (1979)
*Hurricane David
* Hurricane Frederic

1980–1989

*Hurricane Dennis (1981)
*1982 Florida subtropical storm
*Tropical Storm Chris (1982)
* Tropical Depression One (1984)
* Tropical Storm Isidore (1984)
* Tropical Depression (1984)
*Hurricane Bob (1985)
*Hurricane Danny (1985)
* Hurricane Elena
*Tropical Storm Isabel (1985)
* Hurricane Juan (1985)
* Hurricane Kate (1985)
*Hurricane Bonnie (1986)
*Hurricane Charley (1986)
*1987 Gulf Coast tropical storm
*Tropical Depression Nine (1987)
*Tropical Depression Fourteen (1987)
* Tropical Depression Four (1988)
*Tropical Storm Chris (1988)
* Tropical Depression Ten (1988)
*Hurricane Florence (1988)
* Tropical Storm Keith (1988)
*Tropical Storm Allison (1989)
*Hurricane Hugo

1990–1999

*October 12–14, 1990 – The remnants of Tropical Storm Marco and moisture from the remains of Hurricane Klaus combine, producing heavy rainfall in Georgia, peaking at near Louisville. Some roads in eastern Georgia were flooded up to 6 feet (1.8 m) deep. The flooding resulted in some power outages. In Augusta, heavy precipitation forced 300 people to evacuate, while police officers rescued people in flooded cars. About 450 were left homeless. A tornado was spawned in Brantley County, which destroyed 25 unoccupied homes. Overall, there were five deaths and about $42 million in damage.
*June 29–July 3, 1991 – The precursor of Tropical Storm Ana drops light rainfall in southeastern Georgia.
*August 27–28, 1992 – Dissipating Hurricane Andrew produced tropical storm force winds in Atlanta. Several damaging tornadoes were spawned in the state, causing about $100,000 in losses. Additionally, precipitation peaked at near Mountain City.
*August 28, 1992 – Although located well offshore, the outerbands of Tropical Storm Earl produce light rainfall in Georgia.
*Tropical Storm Alberto (1994) In Georgia, rainfall from the tropical cyclone peaked at 27.85 in (707 mm) near Americus. Due to a previously stalled cold front, which subsequently caused Alberto to remain stationary, the ground was already saturated with rainfall. Virtually all of the precipitation became instant runoff into streams and rivers. Peak discharges along the Flint and Ocmulgee rivers exceeded 100-year flood levels. At least 100 dam and recreational watersheds suffered severe damage or were destroyed. Many roads were inundated, forcing the closure of 175 roads and 1,000 bridges. Damage to highway infrastructure exceeded $130 million. Approximately 471,000 acres (191,000 ha) of croplands were submerged, causing about $100 million in damage to agriculture. Fifteen of the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) gaging stations were severely damaged or demolished, forcing data to be collected manually and reported by cellphone. Due to flooded water system, approximately 500,000 people were temporarily left without drinking water. There were 31 deaths in the state, most of which from cars being swept onto flooded roads or into swollen creeks. With $750 million in damage, Alberto was considered the costliest tropical cyclone in Georgia, while the flooding was considered the worst in the history of the state.
* Tropical Depression Two (1994)
*Tropical Storm Beryl (1994)
* Tropical Depression Ten (1994)
*Hurricane Gordon (1994)
*Hurricane Allison (1995)
*Hurricane Erin (1995)
*Tropical Storm Jerry (1995)
* Hurricane Opal
* Tropical Storm Josephine (1996)
* Hurricane Danny (1997)
* Hurricane Earl (1998)
*Hurricane Georges
*Tropical Storm Hermine (1998)
*Hurricane Dennis (1999)
* Hurricane Floyd
*September 21–22, 1999 – The outer bands of Tropical Storm Harvey produces up to of rainfall in Brunswick.
*October 15–17, 1999 – In association with Hurricane Irene, tropical cyclone warnings and watches were posted in Georgia, with a tropical storm watch for the entire coast and later a hurricane warning from Savannah northward. However, the storm brings only very light precipitation to the state, peaking at near Savannah.

2000–2009

*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 in Woodbine.
*September 22–23, 2000 – Tropical Storm Helene moved across Georgia and dropped rainfall across much of the state, with a peak total of in Dunwoody.
*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 near Quitman. In the cities of Athens, Crawfordville, Eatonton, Lexington, Milledgeville, 24 hour rainfall amounts of were common. The Little River crested at its highest level on record, while the Oconee River exceeded flood stage by . 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 canyon. In Milledgeville, an Animal Hospital had to be evacuated when a nearby creek rising out of its banks threatened to flood the facility.
*August 4–7, 2001 – Tropical Storm Barry dropped light rainfall in Georgia, peaking at in Valdosta.
*September 11–13, 2001 – The outer bands of Hurricane Gabrielle produced of precipitation in Brunswick.
*July 9–13, 2002 – The precursor to Tropical Storm Arthur dropped light rainfall in the state, with up to near Dallas.
*August 4, 2002 – The outer bands of Tropical Storm Bertha dropped minimal amounts of precipitation in southeastern Georgia.
* Tropical Storm Hanna (2002)  - Hanna dropped heavy rainfall across much of Georgia, peaking at at Donalsonville, at Carrollton, and at Embry. The heavy rainfall helped to relieve a persistent drought. However, climatologists determined that the rainfall did not fully alleviate the dry conditions. The band of thunderstorms produced gusts of , downing trees and power lines. In the Atlanta area, 48,000 customers experienced power outages. 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. Roads were flooded, including parts of U.S. Route 27. 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 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 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 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. 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.

*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 in Savannah.
* Tropical Storm Grace (2003) – Brought light and isolated rainfall to Georgia, generally about .
*Tropical Storm Henri (2003) – The outerbands brought generally light rainfall to the southern portions of the state, reaching about .
*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 of rain onto the state and caused the closings of schools in 56 counties. Across Georgia, winds of and gusts to led to the downing of tree branches and power lines, which left up to 380,000 residences without power. Significant crop damage occurred, particularly to the cotton and the peanut crops. On average, 30 percent of the crops were lost during Frances.
* 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.

* Hurricane Cindy spawned a tornado in Hampton, causing damage to Atlanta Motor Speedway and Tara Field. A tornado in Fayette County damaged three homes and caused about $3 million in losses. Four other tornadoes were confirmed across the state. Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Atlanta recorded over 5 inches (130 mm) of rain on July 6, its sixth-highest one-day rainfall since records began in 1878. This is more rain than the area normally gets in all of July.
*Hurricane Dennis – The outerbands of Hurricane Dennis caused local flooding the Atlanta area. One fatality occurred when a man was struck by a falling tree.
*Hurricane Katrina – Hurricane Katrina brought heavy rains and strong winds to northern and central Georgia. At least 18 tornadoes formed in Georgia on August 29, the most on record in that state for one day in August. The most serious of these tornadoes was an F2 tornado which affected Heard County and Carroll County. This tornado caused 3 injuries and one fatality and damaged several houses. In addition this tornado destroyed several poultry barns, killing over 140,000 chicks. The other tornadoes caused significant damages to buildings and agricultural facilities. In addition to the fatality caused by the F2 tornado, there was another fatality in a traffic accident.
*Hurricane Ophelia (2005) – Hurricane Ophelia brought light rainfall and storm surge to coastal Georgia.
*Hurricane Rita – Hurricane Rita produces up to of precipitation in southern Georgia.
*Tropical Storm Tammy (2005) – Up to of rainfall in Darien caused flooding in coastal Georgia. Several dirt and coastal roads were washed out. In Brunswick, 30 homes were damaged by flooding. A tornado in the area snapped trees and caused moderate roof damage.
*Hurricane Wilma – The outerbands of Hurricane Wilma brought light rainfall to southern and coastal Georgia.
*Tropical Storm Alberto (2006) – As Tropical Storm Alberto moved through Georgia, moderate winds of up to occurred along the coastline. Rainfall ranged from 3–5 inches (75–125 mm) across the southeast portion of the state, with a peak of 7.05 inches (179 mm) in Rincon. Alberto produced a storm tide of 8.53 feet (2.6 m) at Fort Pulaski National Monument, causing some beach erosion.
*Hurricane Ernesto (2006) – The outerbands of Hurricane Ernesto produced light rains and gusty winds in coastal Georgia.
*Tropical Storm Barry (2007)
*Hurricane Humberto (2007)
* Tropical Depression Ten (2007)
* Tropical Storm Cristobal (2008)
* Tropical Storm Fay (2008)
*Hurricane Ike
*Tropical Storm Claudette (2009)
* Hurricane Ida (2009)

2010–2019

* Tropical Depression Five (2010)
*Hurricane Earl (2010)
*Hurricane Irene
*Tropical Storm Lee (2011)
*May 22, 2012 – Light winds associated with Tropical Storm Alberto were observed at the Malcolm McKinnon Airport on St. Simons Island.
*May 26-29, 2012 – Hours before Tropical Storm Beryl moved ashore on May 27, officials in Cumberland Island, Georgia mandated that all campers evacuate the island. Storm surge flooded portions of St. Marys. Rainfall in the state peaked at at Woodbine. Beryl's rainfall was beneficial in alleviating drought conditions, despite causing some minor flooding. Wind gusts along the Georgia coastline peaked at at Jekyll Island, and sustained tropical force winds extended into the state. Downed trees damaged two homes in McIntosh County,
*June 25–27, 2012 – Heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby extended northward into southern Georgia, peaking at in Fargo. Localized and isolated flooding occurred in nearby Lowndes County.
*August 28–30, 2012 – The outer bands of Hurricane Isaac dropped light rainfall, peaking at near Guyton.
*October 27–28, 2012 – Hurricane Sandy passed well offshore, though a few locations observed tropical storm force winds, especially near the Georgia-South Carolina state line. In Fort Pulaski, gusts reached . At the same location, storm surge peaked at , while tides in the rest of the state were above normal.
*Tropical Storm Andrea (2013)
*Hurricane Arthur (2014)
*Tropical Storm Ana (2015)
*Tropical Storm Bonnie (2016)
*Tropical Storm Colin (2016)
*Hurricane Hermine (2016)
*Tropical Storm Julia (2016)
* Hurricane Matthew (2016)
*Tropical Storm Cindy (2017)
*Hurricane Harvey (2017)
* Hurricane Irma (2017)
* Hurricane Nate (2017)
*Tropical Storm Alberto (2018)
* Hurricane Florence (2018)
*Tropical Storm Gordon (2018)
*Hurricane Michael (2018)
*Hurricane Barry (2019)
* Hurricane Dorian (2019)
*Tropical Storm Nestor (2019)
* Tropical Storm Olga (2019)

2020–Present

*Tropical Storm Fay (2020)
* Hurricane Marco (2020)
*Hurricane Sally (2020)
* Tropical Storm Beta (2020)
*Hurricane Delta (2020)
* Hurricane Zeta (2020)
*Hurricane Eta (2020)
*Tropical Storm Claudette (2021)
*Tropical Storm Danny (2021)
*Hurricane Elsa (2021)
*Tropical Storm Fred (2021)
*Tropical Storm Mindy (2021)
* Tropical Storm Alex (2022) brought light rainfall to the state.

Effects

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Georgia Hurricanes
Atlantic hurricanes
Lists of tropical cyclones in the United States