Muscogee County, Georgia severe weather history spans 348 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 63.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,503 nationally and #35 in Georgia.
348
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
329
Direct injuries
$68.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Muscogee County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Muscogee County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 1990s, with 78 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 76 events fall before 1990 and 272 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Muscogee County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $63.3M 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 Muscogee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 221 | 1 | $2.1M | 86 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $2.5M | 3 | 1955–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $272K | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Tornado | 18 | 2 | $63.3M | F3 | 1953–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $71K | 0 | 1998–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $41K | 0 | 2006–2014 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $500 | 0 | 2002–2006 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–1997 |
Decade by decade
Muscogee 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: 9 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-03-03 | EF4 | 23 | 90 | 68.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-04-18 | EF3 | 8 | 495 | 39.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-31 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 8.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2009-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 13.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-03-13 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-11-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Muscogee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 1953 | Tornado | 2 | 300 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 24, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | COLUMBUS | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| May 16, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 11 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 22, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| May 1, 1978 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 25, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | FLAT ROCK | 0 | 2 | $350K |
| Feb 10, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Nov 20, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Broadcast media and newspaper articles reported numerous trees and power lines down on the northeast side of Columbus, near the Lake Bottom area. A 57-year-old woman was killed when a tree limb fell on her in her back yard at the 1200 block of 16th Street.
Meteorologists with WRBL and WTVM Television in Columbus reported that a microburst or downburst had caused considerable damage in a small area on the northeast side of Columbus, or approximately one mile northeast of Kenwood. The worst damage was near the intersection of Macon Road and Crystal Road where the Crystal Valley Mobile Home Park was located. Other damage was noted from the Willow Bend residential area to Corporate Ridge Industrial Park. Over 100 large mature trees, many oaks and pines, were either uprooted or split within a two to three square mile-wide area. Several mobile homes were heavily damaged, including two of which were destroyed when large trees crushed them. Several fences and metal gates were also destroyed when smashed by the large fallen trees. WRBL Television reported that two injuries occurred at one of the mobile homes crushed by a large tree. WTVM also noted wind damage just northeast of Bibb City as well, where a few more large trees were down, one of which crushed a fence.
The Columbus Ledger-Inquirer reported that at least 26 trees were blown down or uprooted around the city by thunderstorm winds. Several of these were large trees. Damage was reported to homes and vehicles in the area. Several large trees fell through mobile homes in the Pine Grove Mobile Home Park off Plateau Drive. A 40-50 foot branch fell through the back of one site-built home and another home was split in two by a large downed tree. The tree also damaged an adjacent vehicle. Several large trees were down in the city. Two trees were down on homes, one on Steam Mills Road, and several trees were down in yards. Up to 15,000 residents in the area lost power during the storm.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
203,711
Population (ACS)
$194K
Median home value
13
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Columbus 125
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Muscogee County, Georgia?
348 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $68.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Muscogee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 221 recorded events — 63.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Muscogee County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Muscogee County?
13 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Muscogee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Muscogee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Muscogee County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 82 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Muscogee 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
- Murray County 215
- Newton County 232
- Morgan County 230
- Oconee County 180
- Montgomery County 100
- Oglethorpe County 154
Cite this page
“Muscogee County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/muscogee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.