Forsyth County, Georgia severe weather history spans 341 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,549 nationally and #36 in Georgia.
341
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$38.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Forsyth County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Forsyth County, Georgia severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 121 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 320 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Forsyth County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $27.8M 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 Forsyth County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 152 | 2 | $4.6M | 83 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 109 | 0 | $27.8M | 4 | 1963–2025 |
| Lightning | 36 | 1 | $4.4M | 0 | 1998–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $299K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $830K | F3 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $604K | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Forsyth 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: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 46.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2014-10-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-02-21 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 9.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-03-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-11-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Forsyth County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 16, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | DREW | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Jun 25, 2007 | Lightning | CUMMING | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jul 11, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Jun 15, 2010 | Lightning | MARS HILL CROSSROADS | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 14, 2005 | Lightning | CUMMING | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jul 22, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jul 22, 2003 | Lightning | CUMMING | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Forsyth County Emergency Management Director reported that a tree fell on a sport utility vehicle (SUV) killing a 51-year old male inside the vehicle. The incident took place on Brookwood Drive near McGinnis Ferry Road in the Johns Creek portion of far southern Forsyth county. The person inside the vehicle was killed instantly. One other tree was down in the northern part of the county as well.
WSB Television of Atlanta reported that a 27-year old male construction worker was killed when struck by lightning. The individual was working on a house under construction. He and other workers sought shelter in the structure during the thunderstorm.
Several reports of large hail were received from north central and northeast Forsyth county. The public reported two inch-diameter hail two miles south of Chestatee and penny to quarter-sized hail northeast of Cumming near the intersection of Georgia Highway 400 and Georgia Highway 20, and on Georgia Highway 369. Nickel-sized hail was observed just west of Lake Lanier near the intersection of Georgia Highways 53 and 300. Finally, Forsyth County Fire and Rescue Services observed quarter-sized hail near Cumming.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
267,287
Population (ACS)
$550K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cumming 162
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Forsyth County, Georgia?
341 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $38.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Forsyth County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 152 recorded events — 44.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Forsyth County?
11 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 Forsyth County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Forsyth County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Forsyth County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Forsyth County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Forsyth 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
- Floyd County 512
- Franklin County 189
- Fayette County 395
- Fulton County 902
- Fannin County 191
- Gilmer County 240
Cite this page
“Forsyth County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/forsyth-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.