Liberty County, Georgia severe weather history spans 393 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 67.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,280 nationally and #25 in Georgia.
393
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$54.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Liberty County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Liberty County, Georgia severe weather history averages 5.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 188 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 379 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Liberty County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $43.2M 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 Liberty County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 264 | 0 | $1.3M | 78 | 1972–2025 |
| Hail | 87 | 0 | $8.8M | 2.75 | 1969–2025 |
| Tornado | 15 | 1 | $43.2M | F2 | 1951–2023 |
| Lightning | 13 | 1 | $808K | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 2003–2016 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Liberty 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: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-04-09 | EF2 | 4 | 31 | 24.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-10-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-01-15 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 217.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-09-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-09-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Liberty County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1998 | Tornado | HINESVILLE | 1 | 7 | $38.0M |
| Jul 25, 2000 | Lightning | DORCHESTER | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2011 | Lightning | MC INTOSH | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jan 15, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| May 24, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | MIDWAY | 0 | 2 | $750K |
| Jun 4, 2013 | Lightning | MC INTOSH | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 26, 2010 | Lightning | HINESVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 18, 1969 | 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
F2 tornado moved from Long County into Liberty County, which encompasses much of Fort Stewart Army Base. One soldier was killed while in an administrative building and seven others were injured. Seven buildings were destroyed while another fifty-five(55) suffered different degrees of damage.
The Emergency Manager of Liberty County reported thunderstorm winds causing damage to 35 homes, 18 of which sustained major damage in the Lake George subdivision just east of Limerick, Georgia. Several homes have been condemned due to the extensive nature of the damage. Numerous trees were blown down and uprooted. Two injuries occurred when trees fell into homes. Ten people were put up in a Red Cross shelter after their homes were left uninhabitable. Winds were estimated at greater than 80 mph.
Liberty County Emergency Management officials reported that numerous large trees were blown down in a swath approximately 500 yards long and 50 yards wide along Route 84 near Hinesville, Georgia. One tree destroyed a storage shed and numerous power lines were downed as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
67,397
Population (ACS)
$202K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Sep 24, 2024 | Tropical Storm | TROPICAL STORM DEBBY | DR |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Liberty County, Georgia?
393 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $54.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Liberty County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 264 recorded events — 67.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Liberty County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Liberty County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Liberty County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Liberty County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Liberty County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Liberty 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
- Lee County 234
- Lincoln County 163
- Laurens County 457
- Long County 189
- Lanier County 150
- Lowndes County 643
Cite this page
“Liberty County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/liberty-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.