Clay County, Georgia severe weather history spans 82 recorded events between 1963 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 84.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,947 nationally and #152 in Georgia.
82
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$8.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Clay County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clay County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 28 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 75 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clay County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $5.4M in reported property damage. In total, 4 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Clay County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 69 | 0 | $5.4M | 95 | 1971–2026 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $3.5M | F1 | 1963–2021 |
| Hail | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0.88 | 1995–2006 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Clay 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 15.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 21.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-01-20 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 70.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 29.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-01-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 30.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 6 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clay County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 20, 1963 | Tornado | 1 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 30, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Ft. Gaines | 0 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Jan 22, 2017 | Tornado | BELLVILLE | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds rolled and destroyed four mobile homes and downed several trees. The damage path of the straight line thunderstorm winds was one quarter mile in width by three miles in length. Several boats and docking facilities were severely damaged at Lake Walter F. George. Four people were injured from wind blown debris while a mother and a child were severely injured when blown from a mobile home.
A tornado touched down and destroyed three homes and damaged two others. It also toppled several trees and power lines. The tornado moved moved northeast into Randolph County. Reported by the Clay County EMA and WALB-TV Albany.
The tornado touched down in Clay County and moved northeast through the northwest corner of Calhoun County and into southern Randolph County. It caused extensive tree damage with nearly every tree in its path snapped through the Clay and Calhoun portions of the track. In addition, it flipped a mobile home in Clay County, injuring one person who was inside. The tornado caused major roof damage in Clay and Calhoun counties removing the roofing structure from two homes. It also caused minor roofing damage to several homes in all three counties. This tornado was rated EF2 with max winds estimated at 125 mph. Damage cost was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,850
Population (ACS)
$94K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clay County, Georgia?
82 events are on record between 1963 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $8.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clay County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 69 recorded events — 84.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clay 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 Clay County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clay County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clay County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clay County as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clay 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
- Clarke County 233
- Clayton County 269
- Cherokee County 629
- Clinch County 247
- Chattooga County 331
- Cobb County 608
Cite this page
“Clay County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/clay-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.