Gwinnett County, Georgia severe weather history spans 715 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #377 nationally and #3 in Georgia.
715
Recorded events
8
Direct deaths
47
Direct injuries
$151.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Gwinnett County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Gwinnett County, Georgia severe weather history averages 10.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 256 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 50 events fall before 1990 and 665 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Gwinnett County, Georgia record is lightning, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $66.7M 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 Gwinnett County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 326 | 1 | $6.5M | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 190 | 0 | $36.5M | 2.75 | 1963–2025 |
| Lightning | 129 | 5 | $15.0M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 1 | $1.9M | 0 | 2003–2023 |
| Tornado | 12 | 1 | $66.7M | F2 | 1961–2020 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | $23.8M | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $606K | 0 | 2003–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
Decade by decade
Gwinnett 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: 11 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-08 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-06-27 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-11-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-11-10 | EF2 | 0 | 8 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-01-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Gwinnett County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2004 | Lightning | SUGAR HILL | 3 | 6 | $50K |
| Sep 10, 1997 | Lightning | LILBURN | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2009 | Flash Flood | NORCROSS | 1 | 0 | $630K |
| Jul 21, 2003 | Lightning | SNELLVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | Tornado | Grayson | 1 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Feb 10, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Apr 9, 1998 | Tornado | NORCROSS | 0 | 10 | $50.0M |
| Nov 10, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several Atlanta news media television stations, along with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that three individuals were killed and six were injured at Buford Dam State Park at the south end of Lake Lanier when lightning strikes hit one or more trees under which the individuals were seeking refuge during a strong thunderstorm. The individuals were standing under a tree-lined parkway connecting a parking lot to a beach at the park. Two males, ages 20 and 29, and one female, age 44, were instantly killed by the lightning strike. Six others with the group were injured. The incident occurred at 318 pm EDT. This was not the only lightning related incident in the county, however. Four homes in the county were struck by lightning and set on fire. The fires were contained quickly and damage was minimal.
Catastrophic flash flooding began to unfold across portions of Gwinnett county during the early morning hours of the 21st as a secondary area of very heavy rain and thunderstorms began to expand across the eastern Atlanta metropolitan counties. Rainfall exceeded 12 inches in portions of the county during the night and early morning hours. USGS stream gages verified that significant flooding was underway. Crooked Creek at Norcross exceeded its flood stage of 11 feet at 306 am EDT. Pew Creek near Lawrenceville reached its flood stage of 11 feet at 418 am EDT. Many roads became flooded and impassable as they were submerged by several feet of water in some areas. A 39-year old female lost her life as her vehicle was washed off Desiree Drive and she was carried away in the flood waters of a small tributary feeding into the Yellow River. Many homes, apartments, businesses and roads from Norcross to Lawrenceville to Lilburn were flooded during this time frame. Monetary damage to roads and property during this period was estimated to exceed $600,000.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that a 27-year old male was struck by lightning while mowing a lawn. The thunderstorm was not directly over the location at the time, but was nearby in Lawrenceville. The young man was pronounced dead on arrival at a local medical center.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively High
FEMA NRI risk rating
979,864
Population (ACS)
$381K
Median home value
14
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 Gwinnett County, Georgia?
715 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 8 direct deaths and $151.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Gwinnett County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 326 recorded events — 45.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Gwinnett County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Gwinnett County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Gwinnett County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Gwinnett County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gwinnett County as relatively high risk, placing it in the 95 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Gwinnett 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
- Greene County 157
- Habersham County 271
- Grady County 225
- Hall County 454
- Gordon County 292
- Hancock County 88
Cite this page
“Gwinnett County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/gwinnett-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.