Barrow County, Georgia severe weather history spans 202 recorded events between 1958 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 55.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,434 nationally and #86 in Georgia.
202
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$9.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Barrow County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barrow County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 66 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 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 costliest is lightning, with $4.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Barrow County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 112 | 0 | $1.2M | 60 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $4.0M | 2 | 1984–2022 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $4.1M | 0 | 2000–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $445K | F1 | 1958–2017 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Barrow County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-06-22 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barrow County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 24, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | STATHAM | 0 | 1 | $200K |
| Mar 28, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A historic church, built in 1904, was completely destroyed by a lightning strike and resulting fire at 71 West Candler Street. The church was the oldest in Winder and had recently undergone over $700,000 worth of restoration and renovation, with only $10,000 left of repairs to go before it was fully restored. As it was, the historic church was worth millions. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze to the church alone, although other homes along the block were evacuated as a precaution.
Numerous reports of large hail were received from the Barrow County Emergency Management Director, the 911 center, and the public. Most of the hail fell within a narrow area along and near Georgia Highway 211 in the northwest part of the county from near its intersection with Interstate 85 to the city of County Line. The hail accumulated to a significant depth and still reported to be covering the roads several hours after the storm had passed.
The public observed quarter to golf ball-sized hail in the far western part of Barrow county, especially in the Auburn area. They reported that it hailed for up to 10 minutes in the Auburn area. The public also reported nickel-sized hail in the Bethlehem area.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
89,886
Population (ACS)
$295K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barrow County, Georgia?
202 events are on record between 1958 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barrow County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 112 recorded events — 55.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barrow County?
7 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barrow County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barrow County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barrow County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barrow County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barrow 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
- Banks County 196
- Bartow County 490
- Baldwin County 191
- Ben Hill County 150
- Baker County 110
- Berrien County 228
Cite this page
“Barrow County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/barrow-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.