Lanier County, Georgia severe weather history spans 150 recorded events between 1959 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 75.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,706 nationally and #127 in Georgia.
150
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$3.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Lanier County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lanier County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 53 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 132 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.1M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Lanier County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $647K | 70 | 1959–2024 |
| Hail | 22 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1961–2024 |
| Tornado | 7 | 0 | $3.1M | F2 | 1971–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2022–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2002–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Lanier County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 3 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-04-25 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-10-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-02-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-08 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-23 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lanier County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 25, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is a continuation of the EF0 tornado that started in Berrien county. The tornado moved east out of Ray City and dissipated before reaching Lakeland. Straight line winds damage was observed however in Lanier County from U.S. Route 129 through parts of Lakeland to near the Clinch County line. Max winds were estimated near 80 mph.
Trees were snapped and uprooted in the vicinity of Jackson Avenue in Lakeland. Several of these trees fell onto residences and onto vehicles, causing damage. There were also numerous trees snapped along Darsey Avenue. Damage was estimated.
A weak tornado touched down just east of Powell Road in extreme eastern Lanier County. It caused minor tree damage there and also over on East Highway 122 just east of the county line. The tornado then continued into Clinch County. This tornado was rated EF0 with max winds estimated at 88 mph in Lanier county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,221
Population (ACS)
$162K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lanier County, Georgia?
150 events are on record between 1959 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lanier County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 113 recorded events — 75.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lanier County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 3 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lanier County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lanier County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lanier County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lanier County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lanier 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
- Lamar County 131
- Laurens County 457
- Jones County 190
- Lee County 234
- Johnson County 170
- Liberty County 393
Cite this page
“Lanier County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/lanier-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.