Clayton County, Georgia severe weather history spans 269 recorded events between 1967 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,971 nationally and #54 in Georgia.
269
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$295.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Clayton County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clayton County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 87 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 31 events fall before 1990 and 238 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clayton County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $269.4M 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 Clayton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 137 | 2 | $6.8M | 66 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $15.1M | 3 | 1982–2025 |
| Lightning | 19 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1997–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $269.4M | F2 | 1967–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2000 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Clayton County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-12-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 75.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-31 | EF2 | 2 | 100 | 72.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-08-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 50.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clayton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 9, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | JONESBORO ARPT | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Mar 1, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | RIVERDALE | 1 | 0 | $15K |
| Jan 19, 2001 | Tornado | FOREST PARK | 0 | 8 | $2.5M |
| Nov 20, 1981 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 27, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 28, 1999 | Lightning | JONESBORO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 28, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | RIVERDALE | 0 | 1 | $80K |
| Feb 24, 2005 | Heavy Rain | FOREST PARK | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph touched down in far northeast Clayton county, approximately four miles northeast of Morrow, and tracked on the ground for nearly 19 miles from northeast Clayton into northern Henry, southern Rockdale, and into western Newton county before finally lifting. Within Clayton county the tornado path was about 2.75 miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Shortly after touchdown, the tornado caused extensive and significant damage within a 2.5 square mile area of the Ellenwood community. There were 185 private dwellings damaged, 53 of which were destroyed or left uninhabitable. At least 500 residents were displaced from their homes. Numerous trees and power lines were also down in the area. By far, the worst damage caused by this tornado occurred within Clayton county as the tornado weakened as it tracked further east into Henry, Rockdale, and Newton county. Despite the extensive damage, no injuries were reported.
The public and an off-duty National Weather Service employee reported very large hail across Clayton county. This was from the same parent thunderstorm that produced the 3.0 to 4.0 inch diameter hail in northeast Coweta and northern Fayette counties. Three-inch diameter hail was observed just southwest of Jonesboro in the Irongate subdivision and golf ball-sized hail fell elsewhere from just south of Jonesboro to Lovejoy.
The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, along with the Clayton county 911 center, ham radio operators, and the public reported strong thunderstorm winds caused widespread destruction of trees across northern Clayton county. The damage path continued from southern Fulton county near College Park through Riverdale to Forest Park and Morrow in Clayton county. The area from College Park to Riverdale along Georgia Highway 314 bore the brunt of the storm. Hundreds of trees were down on homes and power lines. Parts of Bethsaida Road and Cheryl Lee Road had to be closed because they were blocked by trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
298,924
Population (ACS)
$222K
Median home value
15
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 Clayton County, Georgia?
269 events are on record between 1967 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $295.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clayton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 137 recorded events — 50.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clayton County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clayton County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clayton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clayton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clayton County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clayton 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
- Clay County 82
- Clinch County 247
- Clarke County 233
- Cobb County 608
- Cherokee County 629
- Coffee County 381
Cite this page
“Clayton County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/clayton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.