Stephens County, Georgia severe weather history spans 205 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,419 nationally and #83 in Georgia.
205
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Stephens County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stephens County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 175 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stephens County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $4.5M 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 Stephens County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 1 | $171K | 74 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 58 | 0 | $100K | 2 | 1962–2025 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $2.8M | F2 | 1966–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $4.5M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2002 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Stephens County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-11-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-12-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-26 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1977-11-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-09-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-11-19 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stephens County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 5, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 30, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe flash flooding affected Stephens County. Numerous creeks left their banks in the central and western part of the county, including Toccoa Creek which flooded highway 17. Portions of highway 441 and 123 were also closed. At least 300 homes in the county suffered flood damage. Uninsured property losses were estimated to be over 2 million dollars, and damage to roads and water lines was estimated to be around 3 million. A 20 foot section of Dick's Hill Parkway, the major road between Toccoa and Cornelia, was washed away.
NWS Storm Survey found the path of an EF1 tornado that began along W Leatherwood Rd just east of Highway 184 N. The tornado moved east/northeast, crossing Nub Garland Rd, Mize Rd, Liberty Hill Rd, Highway 17, and Whispering Pines Rd before lifting near Defoor Rd. Damage was largely confined to numerous uprooted and snapped trees and large limbs. However, a couple of homes received minor structural damage, mainly along Nub Garland Rd.
County comms, spotter, and HAM radio operator reported multiple trees and large limbs blown down throughout Toccoa, including on Big A Rd and Collins Rd. Two trees fell on homes and a restaurant received minor roof damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
27,012
Population (ACS)
$175K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Toccoa 107
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stephens County, Georgia?
205 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $7.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stephens County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 123 recorded events — 60.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stephens County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stephens County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stephens County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stephens County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stephens County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stephens 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
- Spalding County 318
- Stewart County 108
- Seminole County 115
- Sumter County 218
- Screven County 386
- Talbot County 138
Cite this page
“Stephens County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/stephens-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.