Lee County, Georgia severe weather history spans 234 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 61.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,219 nationally and #60 in Georgia.
234
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$52.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 76 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 208 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $51.3M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 144 | 0 | $927K | 81 | 1970–2026 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $10K | 2 | 1984–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $155K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 3 | $51.3M | F2 | 1952–2022 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2015–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 2014–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
Decade by decade
Lee County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-10-30 | EF2 | 3 | 27 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-12-25 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-01-20 | EF1 | 1 | 4 | 70.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-02-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 1993 | Tornado | Albany to | 3 | 27 | $50.0M |
| Dec 25, 1969 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down near the Terrell-Lee county line on State Highway 32. Fifteen structures were damaged. A mobile home and frame home were destroyed. One woman was trapped in the bathroom of her home but was not injured. Numerous trees and power lines were down. Nearly 1,000 homes lost power.
Significant flooding occurred within the Kinchafoonee Creek basin as well as the lower portions of the Muckalee Creek basin. The Kinchafoonee crested at its 3rd highest stage on record, causing significant damage to homes in the area, especially along Century Road. Some homes on North Hampton Road also received flooding from Muckalee Creek. The damage cost was estimated.
Six homes were heavily damaged and 20 homes received minor damage along a path from just southwest of Palmyra to Leesburg. A school and church also sustained damage. There were numerous downed trees and power lines. A state of emergency was declared. Reported by a SKYWARN spotter and GEMA.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
33,626
Population (ACS)
$232K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Georgia?
234 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $52.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 144 recorded events — 61.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Laurens County 457
- Liberty County 393
- Lanier County 150
- Lincoln County 163
- Lamar County 131
- Long County 189
Cite this page
“Lee County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.