Lowndes County, Georgia severe weather history spans 643 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 68.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #484 nationally and #5 in Georgia.
643
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$22.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Lowndes County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lowndes County, Georgia severe weather history averages 9.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 266 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 595 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lowndes County, Georgia record is lightning, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $7.0M 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 Lowndes County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 443 | 0 | $6.9M | 70 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 85 | 0 | $7.0M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Hail | 56 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1957–2024 |
| Tornado | 22 | 0 | $5.3M | F2 | 1956–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2012 |
| Lightning | 13 | 2 | $168K | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $2.7M | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2012 |
Decade by decade
Lowndes 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: 22 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-03-03 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-02-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-12-29 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-12-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-04-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-12-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-11-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lowndes County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2014 | Lightning | (VLD)VALDOSTA REGIONAL ARPT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 31, 2003 | Lightning | KINDERLOU | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 29, 2014 | Tornado | VALDOSTA | 0 | 9 | $750K |
| Feb 4, 2024 | Tornado | DASHER | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Sep 5, 2015 | Lightning | I-75 AT EXIT 29 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Feb 8, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Aug 8, 2006 | Lightning | VALDOSTA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | VALDOSTA | 0 | 1 | $10K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extremely heavy rainfall occurred in a short period of time over Valdosta, leading to catastrophic flash flooding. Around 10 inches of rain fell in a 6 hour period. The 1000 year Average Recurrence Interval for a 6 hour rainfall in that area is estimated to be 8.59 inches, so this was a very rare event. Impacts were catastrophic with numerous homes flooded in Valdosta. Known catastrophic flooding occurred in the Chadwyck Subdivision, perimeter circle, Floyd St, Dukes Bay, Lee Street, Pin Oak, Lakeland, and Sugar Creek areas. Catastrophic flooding was generally centered predominantly around the Browns Canal, Dukes Bay East and west, Knights Creek, and One Mile Branch tributaries. These natural drainage features move through Valdosta and cross public streets in dozens of locations along their reaches. Numerous homes were flooded and some roads were washed out. Damage cost was estimated.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Allison dumped up to 11 inches of rain Monday night and early Tuesday morning. Eight inches of rain fell in Valdosta. Numerous county roads and highways were closed, with numerous washouts. Six families on Martin Lane off of Quitman Road were evacuated from their homes. Numerous trees down in the Sugar Creek subdivision near Valdosta. Several bridges were damaged. A state of emergency was declared for Lowndes County. Reported by the Lowndes County EMA.
The tornado first developed just north of Langdales Pond and Old Clyattville Road on the south side of the city of Valdosta. Some of the most severe damage was near the beginning of the track as the tornado impacted Langdale Forest Products along Old Clyattville Road. Several large metal buildings were severely damaged or destroyed and the damage to those buildings was assigned the EF2 rating that is the maximum for this tornado. Some vehicles parked near those buildings were tossed around 70 yards across the street. Two rail cars nearby were also tipped over. The remainder of the track consisted of EF0 or EF1 damage as the tornado moved east and eventually dissipated near south Patterson Street and Dampier Street. That damage in the remainder of the track was a mixture of damage to buildings, trees, and power lines. Monetary damage was estimated.||This was the first tornado to directly affect the city of Valdosta since an F1-rated tornado on November 1, 1997.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
119,965
Population (ACS)
$216K
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 |
| Sep 7, 2023 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IDALIA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Valdosta 213
- Remerton 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lowndes County, Georgia?
643 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $22.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lowndes County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 443 recorded events — 68.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lowndes County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lowndes County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lowndes County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lowndes County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lowndes County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lowndes 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
- Long County 189
- Lumpkin County 171
- Lincoln County 163
- McDuffie County 150
- Liberty County 393
- McIntosh County 211
Cite this page
“Lowndes County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/lowndes-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.