Chatham County, Georgia severe weather history spans 983 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #150 nationally and #1 in Georgia.
983
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
56
Direct injuries
$24.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Chatham County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chatham County, Georgia severe weather history averages 14.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 403 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 99 events fall before 1990 and 884 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Chatham County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $8.4M in reported property damage. In total, 11 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chatham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 608 | 2 | $3.9M | 110 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 182 | 0 | $511K | 3.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 93 | 0 | $8.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 48 | 2 | $4.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 32 | 0 | $7.1M | F2 | 1955–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2017 |
| Waterspout | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2001 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2018–2025 |
| Winter Storm | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
| Rip Current | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Chatham County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-11-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-09-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-07-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-09-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Chatham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2021 | Lightning | SAVANNAH BEACH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 17, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | SAVANNAH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2001 | Lightning | SAVANNAH | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | SAVANNAH STATE COLLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2005 | Rip Current | WILMINGTON IS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 10 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 23, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| May 4, 2017 | Tornado | CENTRAL JCT | 0 | 5 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Construction foreman was killed while trying to clear his crew from a construction site. After the bolt struck the foreman, it traveled through the ground and struck another worker, coming up through the ground into the leg of a 43 year old male worker.
The media and emergency management indicated a fire was initiated by lightning at an apartment complex located along the 5000 Block of Garrard Avenue. The roof and 3rd floor of the 1300 apartment building was primarily involved in the fire, but the entire building was considered a complete loss. Three firefighters had indirect injuries associated with the fire, one from a roof collapse, one from second degree burns and another from third degree burns. All are expected to make a full recovery. Thirty residents were also left without a home.
Numerous trees and powerlines down. The Mar Lin Marina suffered extensive damage and encountered 6 to 8 foot swells with the onshore component of the winds. Boats were capsized, and the docks were destroyed. At least 30 boats were damaged to varying degrees- six were completely destroyed, four capsized and five ended up in the marshes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
300,879
Population (ACS)
$303K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Savannah 235
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chatham County, Georgia?
983 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $24.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chatham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 608 recorded events — 61.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chatham County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chatham County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chatham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chatham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chatham County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 97 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chatham 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
- Charlton County 214
- Chattahoochee County 108
- Catoosa County 209
- Chattooga County 331
- Carroll County 468
- Cherokee County 629
Cite this page
“Chatham County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/chatham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.