Wheeler County, Georgia severe weather history spans 89 recorded events between 1975 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 74.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,919 nationally and #149 in Georgia.
89
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Wheeler County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wheeler County, Georgia severe weather history averages 1.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 33 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 15 events fall before 1990 and 74 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wheeler County, Georgia record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.8M in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Wheeler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 66 | 0 | $218K | 70 | 1976–2024 |
| Hail | 12 | 0 | $0 | 2 | 1980–2019 |
| Tornado | 8 | 2 | $5.8M | F1 | 1975–2024 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $8K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Flash Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Wheeler County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-09-26 | EF1 | 2 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-12-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-12-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-01-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-06-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-05-03 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-03-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-03 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-09 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wheeler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | Tornado | JORDAN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 3, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A brief tornado occurred in rural Wheeler County ahead of Hurricane Helene during the evening hours of September 26th. The tornado touched down and crossed Hwy 19 near the intersections of Ponderosa Road and Adams Cemetery Road. A few small trees were|snapped, but the main damage was to a mobile home/trailer that was completely destroyed with debris thrown across Hwy 19 into a field about 75 yards away. The mobile home/trailer was not fastened down and there are no pictures of what it looked like before it was hit.
A small tornado developed at Alamo and moved east-northeast across Wheeler County. Several homes, businesses, and other properties were damaged; 2 mobile homes were destroyed. Several county maintenance and storage buildings were heavily damaged. A school complex had extensive damages, including considerable roof damage to one section. Heavy rain fell through the open roof and damaged the carpets, desks, and other properties. Numerous trees, limbs, and power lines were downed by the tornado. Scattered outages resulted. Residential damage costs were estimated at over $500,000. By 0410EST, the tornado had dissipated and the parent storm moved into Montgomery County.
The Wheeler County 911 Center reported that dozens of trees and power lines were blown down across the northern and central part of the county, including Alamo and Erik. At least eight roads were blocked and closed from downed trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,335
Population (ACS)
$88K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wheeler County, Georgia?
89 events are on record between 1975 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wheeler County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 66 recorded events — 74.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wheeler County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wheeler County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wheeler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wheeler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wheeler County as very low risk, placing it in the 6 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wheeler 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
- Webster County 75
- White County 250
- Wayne County 322
- Whitfield County 361
- Washington County 215
- Wilcox County 112
Cite this page
“Wheeler County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/wheeler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.