Emanuel County, Georgia severe weather history spans 192 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,486 nationally and #89 in Georgia.
192
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$3.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Emanuel County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Emanuel County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 172 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Emanuel County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.6M 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 Emanuel County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 115 | 0 | $630K | 78 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 48 | 0 | $236K | 2.75 | 1984–2023 |
| Tornado | 15 | 1 | $1.6M | F2 | 1952–2022 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $803K | 0 | 2002–2011 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $58K | 0 | 2003–2018 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2000–2009 |
| Winter Storm | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Emanuel 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: 10 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970-07-22 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-04-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 52.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 15.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-01-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Emanuel County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 1970 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jul 30, 2018 | Flash Flood | GARFIELD | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jan 28, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
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 in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the second tornado, an EF2, that touched down in far eastern Johnson county, just northwest of Kite, continued on an east-northeastward track into far northwestern Emanuel county, lifting approximately one mile west of Blundale, just north of Cordie Road. Maximum winds within the tornado were estimated to be 130 mph with a maximum path width up to 1/2 mile as the tornado first entered Emanuel county. Approximately 28 homes in Emanuel county sustained damage from the tornado, two of which were destroyed, 13 of which suffered major damage, and 10 had minor damage.
The Savannah Morning News reported that lightning struck the high school wing of the David Emanuel Academy near Stillmore in rural southeast Emanuel county. The two-story building, which was constructed in 1904, was set on fire by the lightning strike and completely destroyed. The fire destroyed a science lab, classroom, and wrestling gym.
The Forest Blade newspaper of Swainsboro, as well as the Macon Telegraph, and other local media outlets reported that lightning struck several homes and the Hillcrest Baptist Church. The church was completely destroyed by the resulting fire. Damage to the homes was minor to moderate, but the church was completely destroyed. No injuries or deaths occurred with the incidents.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,026
Population (ACS)
$95K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Emanuel County, Georgia?
192 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $3.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Emanuel County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 115 recorded events — 59.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Emanuel County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Emanuel County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Emanuel County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Emanuel County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Emanuel County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Emanuel 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
- Elbert County 228
- Evans County 163
- Effingham County 508
- Fannin County 191
- Echols County 101
- Fayette County 395
Cite this page
“Emanuel County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/emanuel-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.