Turner County, Georgia severe weather history spans 186 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 58.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,528 nationally and #98 in Georgia.
186
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
45
Direct injuries
$9.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Turner County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Turner County, Georgia severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 67 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 166 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Turner County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $8.1M 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 Turner County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 109 | 1 | $1.2M | 70 | 1974–2026 |
| Hail | 34 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1964–2025 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2018–2022 |
| Tornado | 10 | 1 | $8.1M | F2 | 1968–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Turner County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
12 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-01-22 | EF3 | 5 | 88 | 70.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-01-12 | EF2 | 1 | 33 | 168.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-08-24 | EF2 | 0 | 12 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 34.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-12-15 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-01-22 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-02 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Turner County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 3, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | DAKOTA | 1 | 0 | $250K |
| Dec 16, 2007 | Tornado | ASHBURN | 1 | 0 | $1.3M |
| Jan 22, 2017 | Tornado | HOBBY | 0 | 25 | $5.0M |
| Aug 24, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Mar 2, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jul 7, 2004 | Lightning | ASHBURN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 4, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | AMBOY | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Dec 10, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | ASHBURN | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado touched down just southwest of Ashburn and tracked northeast through the city. Numerous trees were toppled, with several on top of houses and vehicles. Four mobile homes were destroyed and 39 frame homes were damaged. The tornado's winds twisted steel beams and tore the roofs off of two peanut warehouses. Numerous businesses were damaged. The tornado snapped the tops of pine trees just northeast of Ashburn. A semi traveling north on Interstate 75 near mile marker 83 was blown into an embankment. The driver was killed on impact.
An NWS survey team determined that straight line winds of 80 mph moved across Turner county. The severe winds downed hundreds of trees, knocked over a church steeple, and removed shingles and metal roofing from mobile homes and well-constructed outbuildings. In addition, a few mobile homes were damaged by falling trees and one outbuilding was destroyed when the wind shifted it off the blocks on which it was located. This resulted in one fatality. The damage was confined to roughly a 6.5 mile by 4 mile box. Damage cost was estimated.
This is a continuation of the EF3 tornado from Worth and Dougherty counties. The tornado entered Turner County along and north of Son Story Road with max winds estimated around 150 mph. Damage to a frame home along Ireland road was consistent with EF3 damage. Additional EF2 damage was found along this road. There was also some evidence for multiple vortices near the intersection of Ireland Road and U.S. 41. Additional EF3 damage was observed on King Burgess Circle where a large frame house was severely damaged and multiple mobile homes were destroyed. The tornado continued northeast across Interstate 75 causing EF2 damage to several frame homes and mobile homes. Tree damage diminished as the tornado approach the Wilcox county line, suggesting that the tornado temporarily weakened. The Turner county emergency manager said up to 25 people were injured in Turner county. Damage cost was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,939
Population (ACS)
$97K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | HURRICANE HELENE | DR |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE HELENE | EM |
| Aug 5, 2024 | Tropical Storm | HURRICANE DEBBY | EM |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | HURRICANE MICHAEL | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Turner County, Georgia?
186 events are on record between 1964 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $9.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Turner County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 109 recorded events — 58.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Turner County?
12 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Turner County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Turner County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Turner County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Turner County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Turner 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
- Troup County 460
- Twiggs County 226
- Treutlen County 93
- Union County 153
- Towns County 56
- Upson County 272
Cite this page
“Turner County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/turner-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.