Pierce County, Georgia severe weather history spans 191 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,492 nationally and #90 in Georgia.
191
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
35
Direct injuries
$3.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Pierce County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pierce County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 62 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 171 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.4M 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 Pierce County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $297K | 61 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 38 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1981–2023 |
| Tornado | 15 | 0 | $3.4M | F2 | 1972–2023 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $130K | 0 | 2004–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 3 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2015 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Pierce County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-12-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-07 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 20 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 7 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 12 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pierce County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 20 | $0 | |
| Feb 11, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $250K | |
| Nov 7, 1995 | Tornado | Bristol | 0 | 4 | $300K |
| Jul 16, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $0 | |
| Jun 19, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning directly hit the Pierce County Emergency Operations Tower. The strike traveled down the tower and severely damage the center's control box for the tower, its server, radio for both the county EMS and Pierce County jail as well as radios for dispatch stations and telephone lines. The strike also destroyed lightning arrestors which were designed to alleviate impacts from lightning stirkes.
Lightning struck the steeple of the Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in Patterson, Ga. The time of the event was based on radar. The strike split the fiberglass steeple in half, and major damage was done to the church's electrical systems including the sound system, video equipment, projectors and air conditioning. Damage was estimated in the $10's of thousands.
Pierce county 911 was getting numerous calls of widespread wind damage and some structure damage due to thunderstorm winds. Trees and power lines were down across roads creating road closures in HWY 32 and Spatula Dr. A home had damage due to an utility pole line ripping the resident utility box pole. Power outages were also reported. Pierce county fire department responded to nine incidents involving downed trees and powerlines. A vehicle was struck by a tree while traveling on HWY 32.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,202
Population (ACS)
$153K
Median home value
19
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 Pierce County, Georgia?
191 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pierce County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 60.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pierce County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pierce County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pierce County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pierce County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pierce County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pierce 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
- Pickens County 204
- Pike County 188
- Peach County 162
- Polk County 328
- Paulding County 351
- Pulaski County 142
Cite this page
“Pierce County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/pierce-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.