Pickens County, Georgia severe weather history spans 204 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,426 nationally and #85 in Georgia.
204
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$25.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Pickens County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pickens County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 60 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 7 events fall before 1990 and 197 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pickens County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $21.9M 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 Pickens County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 106 | 0 | $1.7M | 76 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 64 | 0 | $479K | 2.75 | 1994–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $216K | 0 | 1996–2020 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $21.9M | F4 | 1959–2023 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $910K | 0 | 2006–2013 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2002–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Pickens County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 6 | 30 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF4 | 3 | 20 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 9 | 70 | 40.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 0 | 25 | 23.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-11-11 | EF2 | 0 | 13 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-07-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-09-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 28.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-03-24 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 36.1 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pickens County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 1 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | TATE | 0 | 10 | $5.6M |
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 Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia and the Cherokee County Emergency Management Director confirmed that the EF3 tornado that touched down in northern Bartow county, five miles northeast of Kingston and continued across extreme northwest Cherokee county, also continued into western Pickens county before lifting. The tornado tracked northeast across Pickens county, entering the county almost five miles west-southwest of Talmadge and lifting approximately two miles east of Hinton or seven miles west of Jasper. Within in Pickens county extensive damage was observed along Henderson Mountain Road and Bryant Road where several mobile homes were completely destroyed. There was at least one injury observed, but no fatalities in Pickens county as a result of this tornado.||Total damages in Pickens county consist of 26 homes and/or business destroyed, 15 with major damage, and 35 with minor damage for a total of 76 affected structures.||[04/27-04/28/11: Tornado #6, County #3-3, EF3, Bartow-Cherokee-Pickens, 2011:015].
The Pickens County Progress of Jasper reported that lightning struck the Big Canoe Golf Shop. The building was a total loss, including a restaurant, pro shop, locker rooms, and a bar. Later investigations determined that lightning likely entered the building via a two-way radio antenna into the pro shop. Lightning also damaged several other buildings in downtown Jasper, including a lawyer's office, the Carriage House, and the Savor Restaurant.
The Pickens County Emergency Management Director widespread and extensive tree damage across the county with dozens of trees were down throughout the county. Several structures were damaged from downed trees and several roads were blocked.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
34,951
Population (ACS)
$333K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| May 5, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pickens County, Georgia?
204 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $25.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pickens County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 106 recorded events — 52.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pickens County?
11 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pickens County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pickens County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pickens County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pickens County as very low risk, placing it in the 35 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pickens 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
- Peach County 162
- Pierce County 191
- Paulding County 351
- Pike County 188
- Oglethorpe County 154
- Polk County 328
Cite this page
“Pickens County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/pickens-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.