Harris County, Georgia severe weather history spans 285 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,868 nationally and #48 in Georgia.
285
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$16.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Harris County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Harris County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 74 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 248 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Harris County, Georgia record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $11.4M 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 Harris County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 171 | 0 | $622K | 78 | 1977–2026 |
| Hail | 66 | 0 | $1.7M | 2.75 | 1959–2024 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $11.4M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $591K | 0 | 1999–2018 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 1 | $1.7M | 0 | 2001–2022 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2006–2009 |
Decade by decade
Harris County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 | EF4 | 23 | 90 | 68.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-12-05 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 51.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-11-16 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 61.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-02-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Harris County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 4, 2001 | Flash Flood | ELLERSLIE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | Tornado | BARTLETTS FERRY LAKE | 0 | 2 | $5.0M |
| Jun 8, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Feb 28, 2009 | Lightning | PINE MTN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Mar 20, 1970 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Dec 5, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Jan 21, 1953 | 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 Harris county 911 center reported that thunderstorms dumped very heavy rainfall across the county. Rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches in a 6 hour period were common across much of the county. Around 10 pm EST a 19-year old male and an additional occupant tried to cross swollen Randall Creek near Georgia Highway 315 approximately 3 miles southeast of Ellerslie. The vehicle became stranded in the rising flood waters and the 19-year old male driver was overcome by the rising flood waters. The passenger was able to escape.
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported that excessive rain resulted in excessive, historical flooding across the entire county. A number of roads and bridges were flooded and washed out and approximately 100 homes in the county sustained significant damage because of flooding. Around 200 residents of the Lake Harding area had to be evacuated from the area because of the flooding.
The public and amateur radio operators observed quarter, golf ball, and baseball-sized hail across the county from Mountain Hill to northeast of Pine Mountain Valley. The largest hail, golf ball to baseball-sized was observed near and just east of Hamilton, decreasing to east of Pine-Mountain Valley.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
36,086
Population (ACS)
$303K
Median home value
14
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 Harris County, Georgia?
285 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $16.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Harris County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 171 recorded events — 60.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Harris County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Harris County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Harris County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Harris County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Harris County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Harris 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
- Haralson County 205
- Hart County 181
- Hancock County 88
- Heard County 184
- Hall County 454
- Henry County 329
Cite this page
“Harris County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/harris-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.