Hancock County, Georgia severe weather history spans 88 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,925 nationally and #150 in Georgia.
88
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$1.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Hancock County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hancock County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 26 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 81 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Hancock County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.1M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Hancock County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 56 | 0 | $432K | 65 | 1974–2025 |
| Hail | 19 | 0 | $7K | 1.75 | 1993–2014 |
| Tornado | 9 | 1 | $1.1M | F1 | 1956–2017 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2019–2020 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $375K | 0 | 2001–2007 |
Decade by decade
Hancock County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-18 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hancock County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 19, 2009 | Tornado | CULVERTON | 1 | 3 | $500K |
| Apr 11, 2009 | Tornado | SUNSHINE | 0 | 1 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF3 tornado touched down approximately five miles east-southeast of Sparta, or about three miles east of the intersection of Georgia Highway 15 and 16. The tornado then moved along a nearly eight-mile long path across far southeast Hancock county and continued into extreme southern Warren county and then into extreme northwest Glascock county. The total tornado path length was nearly 11 miles long. The maximum path width was estimated to be 500 yards with maximum winds of 140 mph. A church, two site-built homes, and four mobile homes were completely destroyed in the Hickory Grove Community. One fatality and three injuries occurred where the mobile homes were destroyed. Hundreds of trees were either uprooted or snapped along the path of the tornado.
The Hancock County Emergency Management Director reported that repeated heavy rain fell across much of the county from mid morning until shortly after midnight. Rainfall of six to eight inches fell across much of the county. Georgia Highway 22 and 16 were both closed. In addition, several wooden bridges were washed out. Disaster funding was provided for road and bridge repair from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the county. Estimated repair costs were in the $300,000 to $400,000 range.
The Hancock County Emergency Management Director reported that dozens of trees were down across the county, including several on homes. Several people were trapped in homes from downed trees, but no injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,650
Population (ACS)
$89K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hancock County, Georgia?
88 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hancock County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 56 recorded events — 63.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hancock County?
9 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 Hancock County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hancock County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hancock County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hancock County as very low risk, placing it in the 12 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hancock 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
- Hall County 454
- Haralson County 205
- Habersham County 271
- Harris County 285
- Gwinnett County 715
- Hart County 181
Cite this page
“Hancock County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/hancock-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.