Long County, Georgia severe weather history spans 189 recorded events between 1967 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 66.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,505 nationally and #95 in Georgia.
189
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$387K
Property damage
The record
What the Long County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Long County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 67 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 10 events fall before 1990 and 179 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Long County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $240K in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Long County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 125 | 0 | $133K | 70 | 1971–2025 |
| Hail | 51 | 0 | $8K | 2 | 1967–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2024 |
| Tornado | 5 | 3 | $240K | F2 | 1974–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $6K | 0 | 2020–2021 |
Decade by decade
Long County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
6 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-12 | EF2 | 2 | 7 | 9.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 217.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-04-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-10-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Long County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1998 | Tornado | DONALD | 3 | 24 | $200K |
| May 12, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jul 2, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | BAYVIEW | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Oct 27, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | DONALD | 0 | 1 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado touched down in the Rye Patch Community where 3 people died (all were in mobile homes).Ten mobile homes were destroyed and two others were damaged along with a roof blown off a block house. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off above the ground.
The Long county emergency manager reported shingle damage to two homes about 55 yards apart from each other along with trees and power lines down near the intersection of Flowers Road and Highway 196. Shingle damage was found on the northeast side of both home structures, thus indicating a tornadic circulation. A report of a tornado along with shingle and tree damage led to a confirmed EF0 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 75 to 85 miles per hour. The path of the tornado was brief with an estimate of a couple hundred feet in length. Monetary damage was estimated at $15,000. No deaths or injuries were associated with the tornado.
Broadcast Media relayed a report of a tree and power lines down near the intersection of Old Macon Darien Road and Roy Smith Road, 3 miles southeast of Ludowici, Georgia. The tree was blocking the road to vehicle traffic.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,374
Population (ACS)
$218K
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 Long County, Georgia?
189 events are on record between 1967 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $387K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Long County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 125 recorded events — 66.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Long County?
6 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 4 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Long County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Long County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Long County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Long County as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Long 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
- Lincoln County 163
- Lowndes County 643
- Liberty County 393
- Lumpkin County 171
- Lee County 234
- McDuffie County 150
Cite this page
“Long County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/long-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.