Laurens County, Georgia severe weather history spans 457 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,032 nationally and #17 in Georgia.
457
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$10.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Laurens County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Laurens County, Georgia severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 53 events fall before 1990 and 404 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Laurens County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.7M 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 Laurens County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 291 | 0 | $3.2M | 70 | 1961–2026 |
| Hail | 92 | 0 | $715K | 2.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 2 | $5.7M | F2 | 1956–2026 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $466K | 0 | 1999–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $56K | 0 | 2003–2021 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $42K | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Laurens County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 2 | 2 | 13.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-11-08 | EF2 | 1 | 6 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Laurens County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 11, 2008 | Tornado | CHAPPELLS MILL | 2 | 2 | $1.4M |
| Apr 15, 2007 | Tornado | DUBLIN | 0 | 3 | $400K |
| Apr 23, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | DUDLEY | 0 | 3 | $25K |
| Aug 4, 1993 | Thunderstorm Wind | E Dublin | 0 | 3 | $50K |
| Jun 5, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | LOVETT | 0 | 1 | $7K |
| Dec 17, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | RENTZ | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| May 30, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Dublin | 0 | 1 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that yet a third tornado had touched down in Laurens county. This tornado was rated an EF1 tornado and touched down in southeast Laurens county, approximately one mile north of Lowrey. The tornado was short-lived and only remained on the ground for about 0.5 mile as it tracked east-southeast. However, this circulation reformed and strengthened into an EF3 tornado as it tracked into southern Truetlen county 10 minutes later. One mobile home was destroyed and numerous trees were snapped off or uprooted along the short path of the tornado. The maximum path width was estimated to be 200 yards wide.
A National Weather Service storm survey team determined that an EF2 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 124 MPH touched down just east of the airport in Dublin, where a house was destroyed. The tornado then continued east through North Dublin where damage was consistent with 100-110 MPH winds. In Dublin, 59 houses were damaged and 300-500 trees were downed as a result of this QLCS tornado. The tornado weakened as it moved through Laurens County and finally into Johnson County.|[02/21/14: Tornado #1, County #1-2, EF2, Laurens-Johnson, 2014:002].
The Laurens County Emergency Management Director confirmed that an F1 tornado touched down in the Ben Hall Lake area, approximately seven miles northeast of Dublin, and continued on an east-northeastward track to near the town of Lovett in extreme northeast Laurens county, then into extreme western Johnson county, lifting near the town of Spann. The tornado path was determined to be approximately four miles long and 300 feet wide at its maximum. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 319 along the Laurens/Johnson county line. Along the damage path, in addition to trees and power lines, a mobile home was destroyed and a car was turned over.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
49,798
Population (ACS)
$155K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dublin 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Laurens County, Georgia?
457 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $10.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Laurens County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 291 recorded events — 63.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Laurens County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Laurens County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Laurens County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Laurens County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Laurens County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Laurens 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
- Lanier County 150
- Lee County 234
- Lamar County 131
- Liberty County 393
- Jones County 190
- Lincoln County 163
Cite this page
“Laurens County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/laurens-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.