DeKalb County, Georgia severe weather history spans 521 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #803 nationally and #8 in Georgia.
521
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$68.6M
Property damage
The record
What the DeKalb County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, DeKalb County, Georgia severe weather history averages 6.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 65 events fall before 1990 and 456 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the DeKalb County, Georgia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $29.2M 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 DeKalb County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 292 | 0 | $2.0M | 74 | 1963–2026 |
| Hail | 127 | 0 | $19.2M | 2.5 | 1969–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 55 | 0 | $8.0M | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Lightning | 17 | 1 | $982K | 0 | 1999–2021 |
| Tornado | 16 | 1 | $29.2M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $9.3M | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2017 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
DeKalb County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975-03-24 | EF3 | 3 | 152 | 14.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-01-10 | EF3 | 1 | 9 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-31 | EF2 | 2 | 100 | 72.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-03-14 | EF2 | 1 | 30 | 6.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-04-08 | EF2 | 1 | 10 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-06-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1996-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-07-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in DeKalb County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 17, 2004 | Lightning | DUNWOODY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 9, 1998 | Tornado | DUNWOODY | 1 | 0 | $25.0M |
| Jun 27, 2004 | Lightning | DECATUR | 0 | 4 | $25K |
| Aug 9, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | OGLETHORPE UNIVERSIT | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| Feb 6, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | NORTH ATLANTA | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Jun 11, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | OAK GROVE | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Aug 24, 2007 | Lightning | LITHONIA | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Mar 6, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | LITHONIA | 0 | 1 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The damage path began just northeast of Perimeter Mall in Dunwoody and extended well into Gwinnett county. There was significant widespread damage to trees and homes. One person was killed when a tree fell on his home. DeKalb College's north campus was closed after several buildings sustained major damage.
The Atlanta-Journal/Constitution reported that a 34-year old man of Douglasville, who was installing a pool at a private residence, was struck and killed by lightning while leaning against a truck outside at the site. The bolt of lightning struck the ground about 30 feet from where the individual was located at the time. Another individual with the same construction crew had his back singed during the time of this same lightning strike.
Several reports of large hail were received from the public across eastern DeKalb county from just south of Stone Mountain to the Rockdale county line south of Lithonia. Quarter-sized hail reports in the Lithonia area were common, with one report of golf ball to tennis ball-sized hail.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
765,351
Population (ACS)
$358K
Median home value
17
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 DeKalb County, Georgia?
521 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $68.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in DeKalb County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 292 recorded events — 56.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed DeKalb County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover DeKalb County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include DeKalb County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is DeKalb County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates DeKalb County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 94 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the DeKalb 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
- Decatur County 287
- Dodge County 206
- Dawson County 195
- Dooly County 175
- Dade County 221
- Dougherty County 396
Cite this page
“DeKalb County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/dekalb-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.