Jackson County, Georgia severe weather history spans 282 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 56.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,883 nationally and #50 in Georgia.
282
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$9.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson 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 44 events fall before 1990 and 238 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $3.1M 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 Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 1 | $2.1M | 70 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 79 | 0 | $3.1M | 3 | 1968–2025 |
| Lightning | 16 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $63K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 10 | 0 | $3.1M | F2 | 1952–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Jackson County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
13 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-11-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-12-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-08-26 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-08-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAIRVIEW | 1 | 0 | $100K |
| Mar 1, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| Aug 26, 2008 | Tornado | ARCADE | 0 | 3 | $350K |
| Apr 4, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Aug 24, 2007 | Lightning | JEFFERSON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Feb 10, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Jackson County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across the far western portion of the county. Trees were snapped at Guy Cooper Road and Highway 60. A tree fell onto a building and the roof was blow off of the building along Highway 332 east of Braselton. On Cambridge Farm Road in Hoschton, a tree fell onto a house killing a 29 year old man inside.
The public reported tennis ball-sized hail in Nicholson, and quarter-sized hail in the Jefferson area. The Jackson Herald reported that extensive damage to vehicles at two car dealerships was observed. More than 3000 vehicles were damaged at Southeast Toyota and approximately 1600 vehicles were damaged at Wayne Neal Chevrolet, both in Jackson. Damages to these vehicles was estimated at $400,000. The public reported that several vehicles in the Nicholson area were also damaged.
The Jackson County Emergency Manager estimated 75-80 trees were blown down, mainly in the Jefferson and Arcade area. Ten houses were damaged, most due to falling trees, but a couple had windows blown out due to the strong winds. Multiple power lines were down as well. Most of the damage was along Jett Roberts Road into downtown Jefferson and along Johnson Mill Road in Arcade.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
84,757
Population (ACS)
$345K
Median home value
14
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 |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, Georgia?
282 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $9.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 159 recorded events — 56.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
13 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 Jackson County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Irwin County 190
- Jasper County 165
- Houston County 458
- Jeff Davis County 177
- Henry County 329
- Jefferson County 145
Cite this page
“Jackson County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.