Oconee County, Georgia severe weather history spans 180 recorded events between 1968 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,549 nationally and #103 in Georgia.
180
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$252.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Oconee County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Oconee County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 49 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 40 events fall before 1990 and 140 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Oconee County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $251.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Oconee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 118 | 0 | $865K | 65 | 1969–2024 |
| Hail | 37 | 0 | $470K | 1.75 | 1984–2021 |
| Tornado | 12 | 1 | $251.3M | F2 | 1968–2009 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $261K | 0 | 2002–2010 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Oconee County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-05-28 | EF3 | 1 | 65 | 18.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-31 | EF2 | 2 | 100 | 72.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-06-27 | EF1 | 1 | 3 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-02-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-05-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Oconee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 1994 | Tornado | Farmington | 1 | 3 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado sporadically touched down and destroyed five homes, seven mobil homes, four chicken houses and three barns along U.S. 441 near the Oconee/Morgan county line. One fatality occurred in a mobil home on U.S 441 one mile north of the Oconee/Morgan county line. Three minor injuries also resulted from the homes damaged by tornadic winds. Numerous trees and power lines were also downed along U.S. Highway 441 from tornadic winds. (F27M)
The Oconee County 911 Center reported that more than 15 trees and several power lines were down, especially across the eastern part of the county from just west of Bogart to near Barnett Shoals. A large old oak tree fell on the roof of a home along North High Shoals Road resulting in moderate damage to the structure. A mobile home on Dials Mill Spur was destroyed when a tree fell on it. Trees were down on Mason Mill Road, Garrett Road, U.S. Highway 441, Fern Creek Drive, New High Shoals Drive, Jennings Mill Road, Monroe Highway, U.S. Highway 78 (Atlanta Highway) at several locations, and Pete Dickens Road. An 18-wheel truck carrying gasoline wrecked when it ran into a tree that had fallen across Atlanta Highway near Pete Dickens Road. The driver did not suffer any injuries.
The Oconee County Emergency Management Director reported that a thunderstorm downburst or microburst from a small thunderstorm caused considerable damage around the city of Watkinsville. The roof was blown off two chicken houses. In addition, two large feeding containers were blown from the chicken houses into an adjacent field. Twenty to 30 trees were blown down around the city. Trees were down on power lines at several locations and several roads were blocked from downed trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
43,551
Population (ACS)
$462K
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 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Oconee County, Georgia?
180 events are on record between 1968 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths and $252.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Oconee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 118 recorded events — 65.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Oconee County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Oconee County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Oconee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Oconee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Oconee County as very low risk, placing it in the 19 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Oconee 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
- Newton County 232
- Oglethorpe County 154
- Muscogee County 348
- Paulding County 351
- Murray County 215
- Peach County 162
Cite this page
“Oconee County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/oconee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.