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Walker County, Georgia severe weather history spans 276 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,922 nationally and #51 in Georgia.
276
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$20.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Walker County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Walker County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 261 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Walker County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.3M 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 Walker County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 166 | 0 | $1.5M | 65 | 1973–2025 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $880K | 1.75 | 1979–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2003–2021 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $8.3M | F2 | 1956–2020 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $240K | 0 | 1997–2018 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $7.6M | 0 | 2006–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Walker County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-27 | EF4 | 14 | 50 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 15.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-02-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-05-02 | EF1 | 1 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-04-16 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-10-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Walker County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 1997 | Tornado | CHICKAMAUGA | 1 | 3 | $100K |
| Apr 27, 2011 | Tornado | HINKLES | 0 | 25 | $5.0M |
| Apr 17, 1998 | Tornado | FLINTSTONE | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jul 4, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | LA FAYETTE | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| May 19, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado touched down just southwest of Chickamauga in the Ridgecrest Acre mobile home park. Touchdown was noted to be at the intersection of Georgia Highway 136 and 193. Three mobile homes were completely destroyed, and a total of 28 homes/ mobile homes had damage varying from moderate to being totally destroyed. Homes were moved off their foundations and numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted.
Emergency Management personnel from Walker county reported that extensive flooding continued across the county and had expanded into southern portions as well. Significant flooding was ongoing in the Rossville, Fort Oglethorpe, and LaFayette areas. At least 20 roads were closed because of flooding. Dozens of homes were flooded and suffered significant damage. Additional monetary damage in the county from flooding during this time frame were estimated to be near $6 million.
Walker county emergency management personnel and USGS stream gages confirmed that major to record flooding continued across much of the county. Many homes, apartments, businesses, and roads sustained damage from flooding. Several roads were closed. Monetary damage from flooding continued to mount, with damages exceeding $1 million during this time frame, nearly all of which occurred prior to 845 am EDT on the 22nd. Flood waters began to recede after 845 am EDT on the 22nd, but many locations remained flooded through 845 am EDT on the 23rd.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
68,762
Population (ACS)
$197K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Walker County, Georgia?
276 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $20.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Walker County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 166 recorded events — 60.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Walker County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Walker County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Walker County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Walker County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Walker County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 72 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Walker 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
- Upson County 272
- Walton County 433
- Union County 153
- Ware County 303
- Twiggs County 226
- Warren County 80
Cite this page
“Walker County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/walker-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.