Wilkes County, Georgia severe weather history spans 119 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,817 nationally and #139 in Georgia.
119
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wilkes County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilkes County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 41 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 13 events fall before 1990 and 106 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.1M 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 Wilkes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 74 | 0 | $884K | 65 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 28 | 0 | $107K | 1.75 | 1968–2023 |
| Tornado | 5 | 0 | $2.1M | F1 | 1954–2009 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $19K | 0 | 2001–2009 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $285K | 0 | 2000–2005 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Wilkes County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
5 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-06-03 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-26 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilkes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 3, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jan 13, 2020 | Flash Flood | TYRONE | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Nov 22, 1992 | 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
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast office in Columbia, South Carolina, confirmed that an EF3 tornado had tracked across far southern Wilkes county causing considerable damage along its path. The tornado continued its east-southeastward track into extreme northeastern McDuffie county. The total tornado path length was 18.6 miles. The tornado initially touched down in the Tyrone community in southwest Washington county. Here a cinder block home was completely destroyed with the cinder block debris blown downstream nearly 1/2 mile. Fifteen other homes along the path of the tornado sustained moderate to major damage from the tornado. Nineteen outbuildings and a commercial chicken house was destroyed. In addition, a steeple was blown off a church and a 2-ton truck was moved 60 feet. The maximum path width was approximately 1/2 mile with maximum winds estimated to be 160 mph.
The News Reporter of Washington reported that lightning struck the Wilkes County Law Enforcement Center, causing significant damage to computer equipment in the 911 Center and sheriff's office. Electronic circuitry was damaged in electronic locks, security cameras, computers, and fax machines. It was noted that this was the third time since opening that this building has sustained a lightning strike.
The Wilkes County Emergency Manager reported that trees were blown down across the county, including on Independence, South Butler, Lincolnton Highway, Lexington Highway, Susan Road, Beaverdam Road, Newtown Road, and Alexander Drive. A few trees were down on houses.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,549
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
17
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 |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilkes County, Georgia?
119 events are on record between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $3.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilkes County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 74 recorded events — 62.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilkes County?
5 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 5 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wilkes County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilkes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilkes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilkes County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilkes 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
- Wilcox County 112
- Wilkinson County 153
- Whitfield County 361
- Worth County 425
- White County 250
- Wheeler County 89
Cite this page
“Wilkes County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/wilkes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.