Spalding County, Georgia severe weather history spans 318 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,678 nationally and #42 in Georgia.
318
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
41
Direct injuries
$35.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Spalding County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Spalding County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 289 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Spalding County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $32.0M 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 Spalding County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 208 | 0 | $1.3M | 56 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 55 | 0 | $1.6M | 1.75 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 3 | $32.0M | F2 | 1955–2025 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $377K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $225K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
Decade by decade
Spalding County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 21.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF3 | 0 | 18 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 4 | 40 | 125.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-02-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-01-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Spalding County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 28, 2011 | Tornado | BLANTONS MILL | 2 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Tornado | RIO | 1 | 10 | $0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | Tornado | BLANTONS MILL | 0 | 18 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 2014 | Tornado | VAUGHN | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| May 15, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 3 | $150K | |
| Nov 22, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 29, 2005 | Tornado | ORCHARD HILL | 0 | 2 | $300K |
| Feb 19, 2009 | Lightning | GRIFFIN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Spalding County Emergency Management Director and the public observed quarter to golf ball-sized hail along Georgia Highway 16 near Griffin. Quarter to golf ball-sized hail was also observed in Coweta county near the Spalding county line. Radar data suggested that similar-sized hail continued across much of central Spalding county along Georgia Highway 16.
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the tornado that initially touched down in Meriwether county, then tracked across southern Coweta county, crossed into Spalding county approximately four miles east-northeast of Haralson or 7 miles west of Zetella. The tornado remain an EF2 as it tracked across southwest and into south central Spalding county, lifting just shy of the Pike county line about five miles west of Rover. Extensive damage was observed along the track of the tornado Four homes were completely destroyed and 40 others sustained minor to moderate damage. Dozens of trees were also down along the path of the tornado. The tornado tracked roughly five miles with southern Spalding county with a maximum path width of one mile and maximum winds of 120 mph.
An amateur radio operator relayed a report of golf ball-sized hail on the east side of Griffin. Nickel-sized hail was observed in Griffin. Radar data suggests that hail of nickel or larger size likely continued to the far east central portion of the county as the storm produced hail just across the line in Henry county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
68,892
Population (ACS)
$229K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Jan 16, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Griffin 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Spalding County, Georgia?
318 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $35.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Spalding County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 208 recorded events — 65.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Spalding County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Spalding County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Spalding County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Spalding County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Spalding County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Spalding 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
- Seminole County 115
- Stephens County 205
- Screven County 386
- Stewart County 108
- Sumter County 218
- Schley County 72
Cite this page
“Spalding County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/spalding-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.