Upson County, Georgia severe weather history spans 272 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 50.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,950 nationally and #52 in Georgia.
272
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$5.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Upson County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Upson County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 252 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.2M 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 Upson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 0 | $1.5M | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 60 | 0 | $153K | 2 | 1974–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 21 | 0 | $2.2M | F2 | 1963–2026 |
| Lightning | 21 | 0 | $727K | 0 | 2001–2017 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2008 |
Decade by decade
Upson County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 2 | 22 | 30.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Upson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2001 | Lightning | THUNDER | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 27, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | THOMASTON | 0 | 2 | $15K |
| Feb 10, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 5, 2008 | Lightning | THE ROCK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 10, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $700K |
| Mar 12, 2001 | Lightning | THOMASTON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 28, 1984 | Hail | 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 Upson County Emergency Management Director reported that excessive rain had resulted in several roads being washed out and closed. Even others that were not washed out were under water for many hours. Four roads were washed out, including Old Alabama Road, West County Road, Bradshaw Road, and the bridge over Tobler Creek on Triune Mill Road. A motorist drove his sport utility vehicle onto a portion of Old Alabama Road that had been washed out by Basin Creek. The vehicle was subsequently swept down the creek. The driver of the vehicle was extremely lucky to have been rescued from his vehicle in the swollen creek. He sustained some injuries from the incident. Estimated damages to repair the roads were between $500,000 and $700,000.
The Upson county 911 center, and the Thomaston newspaper reported that numerous trees were blown down causing major damage in the city. Several of the trees landed on homes and even some vehicles causing minor to moderate structural damage. Others brought down power lines, telephone lines, and cable TV lines.
The Upson county Emergency Management Director reported that thunderstorm rains of five to seven inches in a three hour period resulted in significant flooding in the north central and northeast part of the county. Seven roads were washed out as the result of the heavy rain which washed out bridges and/or culverts on these roads. Sprewell Bluff Road west of Thomaston experienced major damage and was closed indefinitely. Willis Road off Georgia Highway 36 northeast of Thomaston also sustained major damage and was closed indefinitely. There were five other roads in the northern part of the county with minor damage. In addition, an apartment complex just northeast of Thomaston also experienced minor flooding.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
28,029
Population (ACS)
$169K
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 |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Upson County, Georgia?
272 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Upson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 50.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Upson County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Upson County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Upson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Upson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Upson County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Upson 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
- Union County 153
- Walker County 276
- Twiggs County 226
- Walton County 433
- Turner County 186
- Ware County 303
Cite this page
“Upson County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/upson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.