137
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$6.8M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Clayton County, Georgia: 137 recorded events between 1970 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 66. That places the county #1,694 nationally and #63 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Clayton County, Georgia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Clayton County is the 1990s, when 37 of the county's 137 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Clayton County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 50.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,694 for this hazard and #63 within Georgia, putting it in the 46.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Clayton County with 27 recorded events, while Oct is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | JONESBORO ARPT | 43 | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Mar 1, 2021 | RIVERDALE | 45 | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Apr 27, 1991 | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 28, 2013 | RIVERDALE | 55 | 0 | 1 | $80K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 26, 2025 | ORRS | 65 | $15K |
| Jun 26, 2025 | JONESBORO | 52 | $1K |
| Apr 11, 2025 | ATLANTA HARTSFIELD I | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 31, 2025 | SHERWOOD FOREST | 52 | $1K |
| Feb 16, 2025 | REX | 52 | $1K |
| Feb 16, 2025 | ATLANTA HARTSFIELD I | 60 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2024 | LAKE TARA | 52 | $2K |
| Aug 18, 2024 | RIVERDALE | 52 | $2K |
| Aug 18, 2024 | ELLENWOOD | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 30, 2024 | JONESBORO ARPT | 39 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Clayton County
- Hail 79
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, along with the Clayton county 911 center, ham radio operators, and the public reported strong thunderstorm winds caused widespread destruction of trees across northern Clayton county. The damage path continued from southern Fulton county near College Park through Riverdale to Forest Park and Morrow in Clayton county. The area from College Park to Riverdale along Georgia Highway 314 bore the brunt of the storm. Hundreds of trees were down on homes and power lines. Parts of Bethsaida Road and Cheryl Lee Road had to be closed because they were blocked by trees.
The News Daily of Jonesboro reported that a downed tree caused a chain reaction which resulted in two other trees falling, the third of which caused extensive damage to a home. A resident of the home was trapped for 30 minutes in her home. Later analysis shows that the home may have to be demolished.
The public reported that the damage path to trees and homes that began in eastern Fayette county to two subdivisions along Jeff Davis Drive southeast of Fayetteville, continued into Clayton county. Strong straight-lined winds blew down dozens of trees and damaged some homes in a subdivision near the Flint River along North Bridge/Hampton Road. Other damage was reported to trees along Heritage and Panhandle Drives. At least 10 trees were blown down just within one block. The gutters were ripped off another house by the strong winds.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Clayton County, Georgia?
137 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Clayton County between 1970 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Clayton County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Clayton County measured 66.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Clayton County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Clayton County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/clayton-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.