Marion County, Georgia severe weather history spans 114 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 64.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,837 nationally and #141 in Georgia.
114
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Marion County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Marion County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 34 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 101 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $760K 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 Marion County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 74 | 0 | $344K | 55 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 24 | 0 | $46K | 1.75 | 1988–2024 |
| Tornado | 11 | 0 | $760K | F2 | 1953–2014 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $55K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Marion County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-12-05 | EF2 | 1 | 35 | 71.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-12-05 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-11-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-11-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-01-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Marion County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 5, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K | |
| Apr 30, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Apr 18, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Marion County 911 Center reported extensive and widespread damage to trees and power lines across the county. Several homes and business sustained minor to moderate damage from downed trees on the structures, especially within the city of Buena Vista. Over 12 roads were closed as a result of downed trees and power lines.
The Tri-County Journal reported that lightning struck a propane line leading into a home on McAllister Drive west of Buena Vista. The lightning ignited the line and set the home on fire. The flames were reported to have been up to 50 feet in the air. The home was completely destroyed.
West of Draneville, nearly 50 trees were knocked down and several grain silos and out-buildings were damaged. A church just southeast of Draneville on highway 30 was destroyed. Its roof was blown into a nearby orchard, where 116 pecan trees were also destroyed. The roof of a youth center was lifted off. A gas station/grocery store sustained minor damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,509
Population (ACS)
$154K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Marion County, Georgia?
114 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Marion County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 74 recorded events — 64.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Marion County?
13 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Marion County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Marion County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Marion County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Marion County as very low risk, placing it in the 7 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Marion 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
- Madison County 176
- Meriwether County 229
- Macon County 143
- Miller County 149
- McIntosh County 211
- McDuffie County 150
Cite this page
“Marion County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/marion-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.