Tift County, Georgia severe weather history spans 263 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 59.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,019 nationally and #55 in Georgia.
263
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Tift County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Tift County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 78 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 46 events fall before 1990 and 217 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Tift County, Georgia record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Tift County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 157 | 0 | $1.3M | 65 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 48 | 0 | $120K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $4.0M | F2 | 1952–2022 |
| Flood | 13 | 0 | $565K | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2012–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2012 |
| Lightning | 5 | 1 | $238K | 0 | 1998–2021 |
Decade by decade
Tift County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 18 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000-02-14 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-01-12 | EF2 | 1 | 33 | 168.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-12-25 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 21.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-08 | EF1 | 1 | 7 | 92.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-03-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Tift County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2007 | Lightning | TY TY | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | Tornado | OMEGA | 0 | 10 | $2.0M |
| May 15, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Chula | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jul 29, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jan 28, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jul 28, 1998 | Lightning | TIFTON | 0 | 1 | $75K |
| Jan 21, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong tornado crossed U.S. Highway 319 from extreme northeast Colquitt County into extreme southwest Tift County, just south of Omega. Twelve mobile homes and eight pre-fabricated homes were destroyed. Numerous frame homes were damaged, including some moved off their block foundations. Ten persons were injured. Numerous trees and power lines were down. Just northeast of Omega, a school bus was blown into a nearby home. Tift County was declared a federal disaster area. Reported by the Tift County EMA.
The EF-1 tornado touched down west of Chula. It damaged 20 homes, of which seven were heavily damaged and 13 suffered minor damage. The tornado also snapped and uprooted numerous trees before it crossed into southeastern Turner County.
Persistent moderate to heavy rainfall over a long duration led to a gradual accumulation of water that caused areal flooding. Around 9 roads were closed, some of which were heavily damaged. Water reached the bottom of the bridge at Old Brookfield Road from Christian Way to Carpenter Road. Monetary damage was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
41,438
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
20
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
- Tifton 117
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Tift County, Georgia?
263 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $6.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Tift County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 157 recorded events — 59.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Tift County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Tift County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Tift County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Tift County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Tift County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 56 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Tift 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
- Thomas County 352
- Toombs County 154
- Terrell County 153
- Towns County 56
- Telfair County 155
- Treutlen County 93
Cite this page
“Tift County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/tift-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.