Dawson County, Georgia severe weather history spans 195 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,476 nationally and #88 in Georgia.
195
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$7.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Dawson County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dawson County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 63 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 176 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Dawson County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.7M 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 Dawson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 114 | 0 | $1.8M | 78 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 48 | 0 | $1.3M | 2.75 | 1982–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $482K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Lightning | 9 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 2001–2014 |
| Tornado | 4 | 5 | $2.7M | F4 | 1954–2002 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Dawson County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-04-03 | EF4 | 6 | 30 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 3 | 45 | 44.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-11-11 | EF2 | 0 | 13 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-03-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dawson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1974 | Tornado | 5 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 11, 2014 | Lightning | DAWSONVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 11, 2002 | Tornado | JUNO | 0 | 3 | $200K |
| Jul 26, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | BRIGHT | 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 Lumpkin County Emergency Manager reported that a woman was struck by lightning while trimming hedges at a location off Crawford Falls Road off GA Highway 9. The woman was transported to the hospital and died as a result of her injuries on July 15, 2014.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported that significant flooding was reported across many areas of Dawson County. Four mobile homes were flooded, two bridges were breached because of flood waters, six culverts were washed away or damaged, and one dam was breached. Several roads throughout the county were flooded and closed as well.
The Dawson News and Advertiser reported that lightning struck and destroyed two homes in extreme western Dawson county near the Pickens county border on Mulkey Road. Eight people were left homeless as a result. A vehicle also suffered extensive damage at one of the residences. In addition, one family lost one of their pets in the fire.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,242
Population (ACS)
$407K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dawson County, Georgia?
195 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $7.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dawson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 114 recorded events — 58.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dawson County?
7 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 Dawson County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dawson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dawson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dawson County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dawson 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
- Dade County 221
- Decatur County 287
- Crisp County 207
- DeKalb County 521
- Crawford County 171
- Dodge County 206
Cite this page
“Dawson County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/dawson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.