Hall County, Georgia severe weather history spans 454 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,048 nationally and #18 in Georgia.
454
Recorded events
12
Direct deaths
151
Direct injuries
$50.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hall County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hall County, Georgia severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 130 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 78 events fall before 1990 and 376 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hall County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $31.4M 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 Hall County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 240 | 0 | $7.7M | 91 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $8.7M | 2.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 10 | $31.4M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.6M | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Lightning | 15 | 2 | $1.2M | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $65K | 0 | 1998–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2008–2012 |
Decade by decade
Hall County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
32 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-20 | EF3 | 12 | 171 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-12-13 | EF3 | 0 | 21 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-04-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hall County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | Tornado | MURRAYVILLE | 10 | 96 | $15.0M |
| Jul 28, 2005 | Lightning | GAINESVILLE | 2 | 0 | $750K |
| Dec 13, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 21 | $2.5M | |
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $250K | |
| Apr 8, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| Jun 27, 1994 | Tornado | Murrayville; 4W Clerm | 0 | 7 | $5.0M |
| Jun 27, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Clermont | 0 | 3 | $500K |
| Mar 22, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | WESTSIDE | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Gainesville Times reported that a 14-year old girl and her 17-month old cousin died when lightning struck a tree under which they were standing at Old Federal Park on Lake Lanier. The two died within an hour of the incident at a nearby hospital in Gainesville. The 14-year old was holding the little girl in her arms and standing underneath a tree when lightning struck. The two were not hit directly, but the lightning ran down the tree and into them. Lightning was also to blame for fires at eight homes and two businesses across the county.
Emergency management officials reported a tornado that caused seven injuries and considerable property damage. The tornado lifted and touched down several times along Georgia Highway 283 before receding. The tornado destroyed seven houses, one church, seven mobile homes, one auction barn and uprooted numerous trees along its path. Several other homes suffered minor to moderate damage from the tornado along Georgia Highway 283.
The tornado touched down in Federal Park about 4 miles west of Oakwood and downed several large trees. The tornado then moved east northeast and caused severe damage to five homes about 2 miles west of Oakwood. The tornado moved east and caused minor damage to a high school and several homes about 1 mile southwest of Oakwood. The tornado moved over Oakwood and damaged 24 duplexes and severely damaged five homes about 0.5 mile southwest of the town center. Residents of the subdivision compared the sound of the tornado to that of a jumbo jet taking off or a loud train. The tornado moved across Interstate 985, about 1 mile south of the center of Oakwood, in which several trees were downed on homes and cars in three divisions. Minor structural damage occurred to several businesses in Oakwood before the tornado dissipated. A total of nearly 100 structures were damaged, of which 45 homes were moderately to severely damaged. One large building destroyed. Over 2,500 electric customers lost power from downed power lines.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
212,705
Population (ACS)
$350K
Median home value
19
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
- Gainesville 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hall County, Georgia?
454 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 12 direct deaths and $50.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hall County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 240 recorded events — 52.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hall County?
32 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hall County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hall County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hall County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hall County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 84 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hall 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
- Habersham County 271
- Hancock County 88
- Gwinnett County 715
- Haralson County 205
- Greene County 157
- Harris County 285
Cite this page
“Hall County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/hall-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.