McDuffie County, Georgia severe weather history spans 150 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 62.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,706 nationally and #127 in Georgia.
150
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
The record
What the McDuffie County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, McDuffie County, Georgia severe weather history averages 2.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 51 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 8 events fall before 1990 and 142 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the McDuffie County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $3.0M 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 McDuffie County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 94 | 0 | $3.0M | 80 | 1983–2026 |
| Hail | 41 | 0 | $40K | 1.75 | 1971–2023 |
| Tornado | 8 | 3 | $77K | F1 | 1955–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2001–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 1997–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
McDuffie County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-02-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-04-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 23.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-01-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-02-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-05-24 | EF0 | 3 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-04-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-15 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 4.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-01-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in McDuffie County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1955 | Tornado | 3 | 0 | $3K | |
| Jul 1, 2012 | Hail | DEARING | 0 | 15 | $10K |
| Jul 16, 1997 | Lightning | THOMSON | 0 | 1 | $8K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service survey team confirmed a tornado touched down in Warren County GA (see Storm Data, Georgia, North and Central) where it produced EF-1 damage. The tornado continued moving to the NE and crossed into McDuffie County GA. While in McDuffie Co, the tornado also produced EF-1 damage,|with peak winds of 110 mph. The tornado dissipated west of Thomson in western McDuffie Co. The total tornado path was 16.42 miles, with about 14.4 miles in Warren Co and 2.02 miles in McDuffie Co. ||Just prior to crossing into McDuffie Co, the tornado strengthened to EF-1 intensity as it approached Mesena Road and continued northeast across the county line to Foster Sprouse Road. In this area, a couple of homes had roof and fascia damage, a metal work shed and outdoor kitchen were destroyed, and a swath of large and healthy pine trees were snapped and uprooted. As the tornado crossed Foster Sprouse Road, it continued to snap and uproot trees, one of which fell on a house. The tornado then weakened as it crossed Union Church Road and dissipated before reaching West Bypass.
Emergency Manager reported damage to a fireworks trailer and shopping cart corral in the parking lot of a Walmart in Thomson. Public reports relayed from local media also indicate some roof damage to the store. About a half mile north on Old Washington Rd, a metal equipment canopy was heavily damaged with the roof torn off and several metal beams bent.
An EF2 started in Warren county and moved through McDuffie county taking down numerous trees and powerlines. The twister moved along hwy 278 to Thomson then along hwy 150 to I-20. Several vehicles were totaled and many homes and a private school had moderate damage. Ground survey found a damage path of 9 miles in McDuffie county but an areal survey found the total length to be 15 miles. There were no injuries or deaths.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,718
Population (ACS)
$170K
Median home value
15
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 |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in McDuffie County, Georgia?
150 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $3.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in McDuffie County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 94 recorded events — 62.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed McDuffie County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover McDuffie County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include McDuffie County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is McDuffie County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates McDuffie County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the McDuffie 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
- Lumpkin County 171
- McIntosh County 211
- Lowndes County 643
- Macon County 143
- Long County 189
- Madison County 176
Cite this page
“McDuffie County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/mcduffie-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.