Berrien County, Georgia severe weather history spans 228 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,264 nationally and #65 in Georgia.
228
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$5.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Berrien County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Berrien County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 210 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Berrien County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Berrien County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 156 | 0 | $1.0M | 65 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 26 | 0 | $20K | 2 | 1975–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $85K | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Tornado | 13 | 2 | $3.9M | F3 | 1952–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $135K | 0 | 1998–2003 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2012 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Berrien County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 13 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | EF3 | 11 | 45 | 24.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-05-11 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 217.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 7 | 92.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-07-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-01-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Berrien County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2017 | Tornado | NEW LOIS | 2 | 0 | $500K |
| May 11, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 9, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The EF3 tornado from northeast Brooks and Cook counties progressed into Berrien County where it completely removed the second story of a wood frame home on South Coffee Road. Just up the road, a well-strapped double wide home was completely removed and tossed into nearby trees and hedges. The last of the EF3 damage occurred on Old Lois Road where most of the roof of a brick home was removed. An add-on room on the back of the home was flattened by a massive live oak tree crushing two occupants to death in their bed. The tornado continued past Old Valdosta Road stripping bark from several trees in the area and then produced EF2 damage just past U.S. Route 129 on County Road before lifting. Damage cost was estimated.
A brief tornado touched down in Ray City, with damage to trees and minor damage to structures. The tornado moved east out of Ray City and dissipated before reaching Lakeland. Straight line winds damage was observed however in Lanier County from U.S. Route 129 through parts of Lakeland to near the Clinch County line. Max winds were estimated near 80 mph.
Numerous trees were blown down, particularly across the southern portions of the county. A tree was blown onto a house on Park Street. Trees were down on Possum Creek Road, Jones Road, Allenville Road, Turtle Dove Lane, Old Mill Town Road, Highway 168, and May Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,352
Population (ACS)
$132K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Berrien County, Georgia?
228 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $5.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Berrien County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 156 recorded events — 68.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Berrien County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Berrien County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Berrien County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Berrien County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Berrien County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Berrien 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
- Ben Hill County 150
- Bibb County 393
- Bartow County 490
- Bleckley County 128
- Barrow County 202
- Brantley County 222
Cite this page
“Berrien County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/berrien-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.