Ware County, Georgia severe weather history spans 303 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,766 nationally and #44 in Georgia.
303
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Ware County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ware County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 114 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 32 events fall before 1990 and 271 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ware County, Georgia record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.6M 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 Ware County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 190 | 0 | $2.8M | 67 | 1957–2024 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1971–2023 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $3.6M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Lightning | 9 | 2 | $48K | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2009–2022 |
Decade by decade
Ware County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-11-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-02-25 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 10.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 7 | 92.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-03-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-02-10 | EF1 | 0 | 12 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ware County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2025 | Lightning | EMERSON PARK | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 11, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 11, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Feb 25, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 19, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEST WAYCROSS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 28, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | MANOR | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| May 28, 1996 | Lightning | WAYCROSS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 28, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two males, 18 and 19 years old, were killed by lightning in an open field near a vehicle during a thunderstorm Thursday evening along Lejuene Road and Alton Circle after fishing. The time of the event was based on county official information and lightning data.
In the Jamestown Community two residents with minor damage. In an Industrial Park a boat manufacturing company had one building destroyed and moderate damage to one end of their main building. A mobile home manufacturing plant had a 100,000 sq/ft building and shop destroyed, 5 new mobile homes were destroyed and 14 others were damaged, 5 semi-trailers were damaged and a pickup truck.
Numerous gravestones were lofted and displaced along the damage path. A church at 2353 Carswell Avenue had roof damage where at leas 20% of the roof was lifted off of the structure. The cost of damage was unknown but estimated for Storm Data.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,976
Population (ACS)
$110K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waycross 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ware County, Georgia?
303 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ware County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 190 recorded events — 62.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ware County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 19 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ware County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ware County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ware County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ware County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 49 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ware 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
- Walton County 433
- Warren County 80
- Walker County 276
- Washington County 215
- Upson County 272
- Wayne County 322
Cite this page
“Ware County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/ware-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.