Habersham County, Georgia severe weather history spans 271 recorded events between 1971 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,957 nationally and #53 in Georgia.
271
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$13.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Habersham County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Habersham County, Georgia severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 35 events fall before 1990 and 236 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $11.5M 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 Habersham County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 125 | 0 | $247K | 70 | 1971–2025 |
| Hail | 88 | 0 | $1K | 2.75 | 1974–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $238K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $11.5M | F3 | 1976–2024 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $28K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 2000–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Habersham County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 3 | 15 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 3 | 45 | 44.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 0 | 37 | 28.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-11-15 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-02-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Habersham County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Feb 22, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | Habersham | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Nov 16, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 4, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 20, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLARKESVILLE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | Tornado | Clarksville to 4W Toc | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Mar 23, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down and destroyed one brick home, three mobile homes, one business and moderately damaged three additional homes. The three homes moderately damaged suffered primarily roof and glass damage. Also, several trees were snapped midway from the crown and numerous power lines were downed from the tornadic winds.
Stream gauges and emergency manager reported flash flooding developed along the Soque and Chattahoochee River basins after 6 to 7 inches of rain fell in around 24 hours. Multiple roads along the Soque and its tributaries were heavily inundated or washed out, especially close to the White County line. These included Duncan Bridge Rd, Paradise Park Rd, Cross Creek Trail, Soque Trail, and Falling Water Dr. Additionally, a home was inundated on River Way, where the occupants required rescue.
Damage, reported as moderate to major, to 8 buildings, mainly around the Lakeview Heights section between Cornelia and Mt Airy. Numerous trees were either uprooted or had their tops blown out. Several trees fell on homes and power lines.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
47,793
Population (ACS)
$238K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Clarkesville 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Habersham County, Georgia?
271 events are on record between 1971 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $13.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Habersham County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 125 recorded events — 46.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Habersham County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Habersham County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Habersham County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Habersham County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Habersham County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Habersham 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
- Gwinnett County 715
- Hall County 454
- Greene County 157
- Hancock County 88
- Grady County 225
- Haralson County 205
Cite this page
“Habersham County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/habersham-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.