Towns County, Georgia severe weather history spans 56 recorded events between 1985 and 2023. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #3,028 nationally and #157 in Georgia.
56
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Towns County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Towns County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 21 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 2 events fall before 1990 and 54 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $554K in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Towns County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 26 | 0 | $151K | 61 | 1985–2023 |
| Hail | 21 | 0 | $455K | 2.75 | 1990–2015 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $554K | 0 | 2003–2018 |
| Tornado | 1 | 0 | $75K | F1 | 1997–1997 |
| Heavy Snow | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Towns County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 1 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997-03-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency, along with local newspaper, reported major and extensive flooding throughout the county. The Hiawassee River flooded the Enchanted Valley Resort. Many residents in the area had water up to the doors of their homes. At least ten roads and ten bridges in the county were washed out by flood waters.
Several reports of hail, ranging in size from quarters to golf balls, were received from the Towns County 911 Center and the public across the northern half of the county from near Brasstown Bald to Macedonia. WSR-88D radar data suggests that hail of at least quarter-size likely continued to the northeast corner of the county near Tate City.
The emergency manager reported four roads west and northwest of Young Harris were closed due to flooding. Crooked Creek washed out a culvert pipe at Settlement Road and Byers Creek washed out a culvert pipe at Crisp Road. Winchester Creek flooded portions of Winchester Creek Road and Crane Creek flooded portions of Kerby Road which made them completely impassable.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,913
Population (ACS)
$316K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Towns County, Georgia?
56 events are on record between 1985 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Towns County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 26 recorded events — 46.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Towns County?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 1 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Towns County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Towns County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Towns County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Towns County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Towns 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
- Toombs County 154
- Treutlen County 93
- Tift County 263
- Troup County 460
- Thomas County 352
- Turner County 186
Cite this page
“Towns County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/towns-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.