Rockdale County, Georgia severe weather history spans 181 recorded events between 1974 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,544 nationally and #101 in Georgia.
181
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$15.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Rockdale County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rockdale County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 57 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 23 events fall before 1990 and 158 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $8.2M 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 Rockdale County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 108 | 0 | $972K | 61 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $8.2M | 2.75 | 1980–2013 |
| Lightning | 18 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1996–2012 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $350K | 0 | 2003–2020 |
| Tornado | 6 | 0 | $755K | F2 | 1981–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2008 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $3.0M | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2017 |
Decade by decade
Rockdale County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
7 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-03-31 | EF2 | 2 | 100 | 72.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-10-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-27 | EF1 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-10-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rockdale County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 4, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Amateur radio operators relayed reports of golf ball to baseball-sized hail across the northern half of Rockdale county. The baseball-sized hail was observed about three miles north of Conyers at the J. H. Elementary school and at several other locations across the northern portion of the county.
Rockdale county emergency management personnel and USGS stream gages confirmed that major to record flooding continued across much of the county. Hundreds of homes, apartments, businesses, and roads sustained damages from flooding. Flood damages peaked across the county during this time frame as many culverts and/or bridges were washed out and several roads were closed. Flood waters began to recede after 230 pm EDT on the 22nd, but many locations remained flooded through 715 am EDT on the 23rd. Monetary damage exceeded $2 million during this time frame.
Numerous reports of large hail, ranging in size from pennies to golf balls, were received from the public across Rockdale county from Conyers to the southern part of the county near the Henry county line. Golf ball-sized hail was reported in the city of Conyers.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
95,281
Population (ACS)
$293K
Median home value
16
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 |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | DR |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | HURRICANE IRMA | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rockdale County, Georgia?
181 events are on record between 1974 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $15.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rockdale County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 108 recorded events — 59.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rockdale County?
7 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 Rockdale County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rockdale County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rockdale County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rockdale County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rockdale 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
- Richmond County 401
- Schley County 72
- Screven County 386
- Randolph County 130
- Seminole County 115
- Rabun County 207
Cite this page
“Rockdale County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/rockdale-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.