Fannin County, Georgia severe weather history spans 191 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 53.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,492 nationally and #90 in Georgia.
191
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$9.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Fannin County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fannin County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 61 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 181 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M 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 Fannin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 103 | 0 | $525K | 56 | 1975–2025 |
| Hail | 42 | 0 | $2.1M | 4.25 | 1985–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $383K | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $5.8M | F4 | 1961–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Fannin County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 4 | 26 | 24.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 15.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 11.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fannin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 14, 2004 | Lightning | BLUE RIDGE | 0 | 3 | $1K |
| Aug 16, 2003 | Lightning | BLUE RIDGE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 30, 2013 | Tornado | HIGDON | 0 | 1 | $160K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous reports of large to very large damaging hail were received from the Fannin County 911 Center and the public across Fannin county. As the thunderstorm entered Fannin county from the southwest, it produced golf ball-sized hail near Blue Ridge. The hail grew in size to softballs (4.25 inch diameter) as the storm moved over the Morganton area. Extensive damage was reported to vehicles in the Morganton area and adjacent areas in the eastern part of the county.
The Fannin County Emergency Management Director reported that persistent thunderstorms with heavy rain resulted in flash flooding in the McCaysville area. The most significant damage occurred to a convenience store on Georgia Highway 5, also known as Blue Ridge Drive. The store was built over a culvert. Flooding caused a rupture in the culvert pipe under the building which forced water up into the store. The water rose one foot deep causing the wooden floor to buckle. Pavement on the outside of the store buckled as well. The store was a complete loss and condemned by local officials. Several ditches in the area were also washed out during the flash flooding. Rainfall of three to four inches fell across the area between 11 am and 2 pm EDT.
A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 100 mph and a maximum path width of 450 yards touched down along Deep Hole |Campground Road south of the Morganton Highway, Georgia Highway 60, and traveled east-northeast along Morganton Highway, intensifying and downing hundreds of trees along the highway. A 40 foot steel radio tower at a Fannin County Fire Station was blown down and at least four homes suffered damage from fallen trees. The tornado weakened and turned northeast along Cooper Creek Road downing sporadic trees before finally dissipating near the Union County line near the Davis Family Cemetery off of Mulky Gap Road. [01/11/20: Tornado #2, County #1/1, EF-1, Fannin, 2020:002].
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,742
Population (ACS)
$307K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| May 5, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fannin County, Georgia?
191 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $9.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fannin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 103 recorded events — 53.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fannin County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fannin County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fannin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fannin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fannin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fannin 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
- Evans County 163
- Fayette County 395
- Emanuel County 192
- Floyd County 512
- Elbert County 228
- Forsyth County 341
Cite this page
“Fannin County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/fannin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.