Wayne County, Georgia severe weather history spans 322 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 60.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,651 nationally and #41 in Georgia.
322
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$690K
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 116 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 18 events fall before 1990 and 304 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $420K 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 196 | 0 | $420K | 60 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 74 | 0 | $0 | 2.5 | 1970–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $110K | F2 | 1955–2020 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $51K | 0 | 1997–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 4 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2001–2013 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-03-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-18 | EF2 | 0 | 30 | 217.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 8 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-12-09 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-03-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-11-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-03-03 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-24 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-03-20 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-10-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | Tornado | ODUM | 0 | 8 | $0 |
| Dec 9, 2009 | Tornado | JESUP | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Around 9:47 pm EDT, Wayne County Dispatch reported that a portion of Odum Screven Road was flooded near Route 203. By 10:22 pm EDT, Dispatch reported that many roads in Jesup were flooded, and a few structures had water flowing into them. By 10:45 pm, the county emergency manager relayed that there was widespread flash flooding occurring in Jesup. Numerous roads were flooded including Main Road 84. There were 4 vehicles completely covered in water, and water was entering homes, motels and fire stations in Jesup. Around 12 am on 8/20, the emergency manager relayed that 20 to 30 homes in downtown Jesup were flooded with about 1 ft of standing water. There was about 4 inches of standing water at the main fire station in Jesup. A motel in Jesup was also flooded. U. S. Highway 84 was closed due to flooding Monday evening, but was re-opened over night. Wayne county closed public schools on Tuesday, 8/20, due to flooded roads. The cost of damage was unknown, but was estimated for the event to be included in Storm Data. The estimate is likely grossly underestimated.
Numerous mobile homes suffered major damage to roofs and siding in the Odum area. Many roofs were peeled off completely destroying the roof. A shipping container was also flipped onto its side. Time was estimated from radar.
A semi-truck was overturned due to severe thunderstorm winds along U.S. Highway 341 west of Odum. No injuries were reported. The time of the event was based on the report from the county emergency manager. The cost of property damage was estimated.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
30,949
Population (ACS)
$163K
Median home value
19
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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Georgia?
322 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $690K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 196 recorded events — 60.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 215
- Webster County 75
- Warren County 80
- Wheeler County 89
- Ware County 303
- White County 250
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.