179
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Georgia: 179 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 91. That places the county #1,224 nationally and #44 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Georgia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Polk County is the 2020s, when 67 of the county's 179 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Polk County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 54.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,224 for this hazard and #44 within Georgia, putting it in the 61.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Polk County with 41 recorded events, while Sep is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 2014 | ROCKMART | 60 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | ANTIOCH | 52 | $1K |
| Mar 16, 2026 | BREWERS | 56 | $3K |
| Jan 10, 2026 | GREENWAY | 48 | $1K |
| Nov 25, 2025 | FISH CREEK | 52 | $1K |
| Nov 25, 2025 | CEDARTOWN ARPT | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 17, 2025 | CEDARTOWN | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 17, 2025 | RAVENEL | 43 | $1K |
| Jun 17, 2025 | LAKE CREEK | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 17, 2025 | CEDARTOWN | 52 | $1K |
| Jun 17, 2025 | GREENWAY | 52 | $3K |
Other hazards here
More from Polk County
- Hail 91
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Polk County 911 Center reported that dozens of trees and power lines were down from south of Cedartown in the central part of the county to the northwest part of the county along the Floyd county line near Cave Spring. Several homes sustained minor to moderate damage near and especially just south of Cedartown. WSR-88D SRM velocity data suggests that a tornado occurred in this area, but no evidence was found of such during subsequent damage surveys. The strong tornadic-indicative circulation continued northeast across much of Bartow county.
A National Weather Service survey determined that a downburst with maximum wind speeds of 105 MPH struck the southern and eastern side of Cedartown. The path was around 3 to 3.5 miles long and about 1 to 1.5 miles wide. The center of the downburst was located in a heavily wooded area east of Main Street and south of Highway 278. Numerous downed trees south of Highway 27 along Tuck Street were snapped or blown down facing south, away from the center of the downburst area. Numerous trees were snapped or uprooted along East Point Road north of Highway 278 facing north or northwest, away from the center of the downburst. The strong winds continued in the area east and southeast of Highway 27, snapping and uprooting trees along Lees Chapel Road, Friendly Baptist Road and Coaling Road in a east to northeast direction. Numerous homes in the area sustained structural damage to their roofs, mainly due to downed trees or shingle damage from the strong winds.
A National Weather Service Storm Survey determined that straight-line winds of 80 MPH struck the Floyd-Polk Medical Center in Cedartown. The winds lifted the vinyl awning off the hospital entrance and pulled some of the metal support beams from the concrete base. These metal support beams punctured the roof and allowed the rain to enter the building through the holes. This water caused damage to the interior of the structure. In addition, some of the debris hit cars parked near the building and damaged six vehicles. A small portion of the metal roof on a nearby building was peeled back. A few limbs were down near the medical center and two business signs nearby were damaged.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Polk County, Georgia?
179 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Polk County between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Polk County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Polk County measured 91.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Polk County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Polk County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/polk-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.