Banks County, Georgia severe weather history spans 196 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,465 nationally and #87 in Georgia.
196
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Banks County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Banks County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 73 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 175 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Banks County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Banks County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 112 | 1 | $526K | 60 | 1975–2025 |
| Hail | 52 | 0 | $864K | 1.75 | 1977–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $325K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $1.7M | F2 | 1952–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2018 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $65K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2002–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Banks County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-11-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-05-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-02-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Banks County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | GILLSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $30K |
| Mar 1, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 15, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 23, 2000 | Tornado | HOMER | 0 | 1 | $105K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Banks County Emergency Management Director reported that more than a dozen trees were down across the county. A number of trees were down in the western part of the county along Georgia Highway 51 and Hickory Flat Road between Gillsville and Homer, and in the eastern part of the county on Georgia Highway 51 between U.S. Highway 441 and the Franklin county line. A 70 year-old male was killed on Rock Springs Road, approximately four miles northwest of Homer, when a tree fell on his home. He was killed instantly when the tree fell on the bedroom portion of his mobile home.
A damage survey conducted by the Banks County Emergency Management Director and the National Weather Service concluded that a brief F0 tornado touched down just north of Interstate-85 at 363 Dodd Road (which parallels the interstate) completely destroying one chicken house and removing another from its foundation. Large pieces of metal from the chicken house were wrapped around an adjacent silo.
A pastor's brick home as well as three chicken houses were destroyed. A backyard barn was also destroyed. Four frame houses along Mt. Sinai Road were damaged. An older frame house was moved off its foundation. Afterwards, the tornado destroyed a concrete block fire station near the Rock Springs community. Seventy-five foot Pine trees were sheared at their trunknowns. No injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,264
Population (ACS)
$278K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Banks County, Georgia?
196 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Banks County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 112 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Banks County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Banks County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Banks County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Banks County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Banks County as very low risk, placing it in the 12 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Banks County, Georgia severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Baldwin County 191
- Barrow County 202
- Baker County 110
- Bartow County 490
- Bacon County 161
- Ben Hill County 150
Cite this page
“Banks County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/banks-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.