Wilkinson County, Georgia severe weather history spans 153 recorded events between 1956 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 65.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,692 nationally and #124 in Georgia.
153
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$965K
Property damage
The record
What the Wilkinson County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilkinson County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 49 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 17 events fall before 1990 and 136 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wilkinson County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $451K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wilkinson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 100 | 1 | $451K | 60 | 1975–2024 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $3K | 2 | 1956–2022 |
| Tornado | 13 | 0 | $375K | F1 | 1980–2022 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1998–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2018–2023 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2008–2009 |
Decade by decade
Wilkinson County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-04-05 | EF2 | 2 | 5 | 75.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-04-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 24.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilkinson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 4, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | TOOMSBORO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 21, 1980 | 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
The Emergency Manager relayed a report of a dam breach at Lake Tchukolako following a period of heavy rainfall. In the preceding 36-hours, the area of the lake and the immediate upstream basin received 3 to 5 inches of rain, causing the dam to be overwhelmed. Although the dam failed at approximately 1 AM EST March 28, it was being monitored for 'imminent failure' through the day March 27. The failure resulted in flooding and the subsequent closure of Wrigley Road. This dam had previously failed in May 2020, and repairs were complete in summer 2022.
A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF2 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 115 MPH and a maximum path width of 200 yards developed southwest of the town of Gordon near the intersection of Highway 57 and Mission Farm Road. The tornado travelled northeast crossing Highway 18 as it entered the community of Gordon. The tornado turned east and quickly strengthened to EF2 strength as it moved|through the Gordon community. Several small business structures were severely damaged and large trees within a local community park area were uprooted as the tornado moved east along Paper Mill Road. The tornado lifted after moving through the local park. This thunderstorm would later produce an EF0 tornado several miles east as it moved north of McIntyre. No injuries were reported. [04/03/17: Tornado # 19, County #1/1, EF-2, Wilkinson, 2017:051].
Thunderstorm winds knocked over several large tree limbs in all communities. Ivey was the hardest hit, as fallen tree limbs destroyed several roofs and at least on greenhouse. In McIntyre at least one house fire was started by tree limbs falling on powerlines leading into the home.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,747
Population (ACS)
$86K
Median home value
16
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 14, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilkinson County, Georgia?
153 events are on record between 1956 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths and $965K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilkinson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 100 recorded events — 65.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilkinson County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wilkinson County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilkinson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilkinson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilkinson County as very low risk, placing it in the 5 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilkinson 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
- Wilkes County 119
- Worth County 425
- Wilcox County 112
- Whitfield County 361
- White County 250
- Wheeler County 89
Cite this page
“Wilkinson County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/wilkinson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.