White County, Georgia severe weather history spans 250 recorded events between 1966 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,107 nationally and #56 in Georgia.
250
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
82
Direct injuries
$23.5M
Property damage
The record
What the White County, Georgia severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, White County, Georgia severe weather history averages 4.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 68 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 229 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the White County, Georgia record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $14.7M 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 White County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 124 | 3 | $6.2M | 70 | 1966–2026 |
| Hail | 63 | 0 | $1.4M | 1.75 | 1984–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 47 | 1 | $1.1M | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 9 | 2 | $14.7M | F3 | 1967–2018 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $155K | 0 | 2001–2019 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
White County, Georgia severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
11 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 4 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-03-20 | EF3 | 12 | 171 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 3 | 45 | 44.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-03-27 | EF3 | 3 | 15 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-04-27 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-11-22 | EF3 | 1 | 7 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-03-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-05-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-07-11 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-08-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in White County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | Tornado | CLEVELAND | 2 | 75 | $5.0M |
| Aug 9, 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | YONAH | 2 | 3 | $0 |
| Sep 16, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $300K |
| Apr 4, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 16, 2003 | Lightning | HELEN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jan 11, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLEVELAND WHITE ARPT | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Jul 18, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | HELEN | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Georgia Emergency Management Agency, along with local newspapers, reported extensive and widespread flooding across White county. A six-year old girl, was swept away in flood waters, while outside in the front yard of her mobile home. The mobile home park was flooded by the waters from a nearby small stream. In unrelated incidents, three other residents had to be rescued from high water elsewhere in the county. Several roads were washed out. A 20-foot portion of Black Road was washed away by flood waters. The Chattahoochee River in Helen also rose above its flood stage of 6 feet and crested near 7 feet around 1130 pm EDT. The Castle Inn of Helen experienced flooding up to the patio level, which affects the basement area of the facility.
Straightline thunderstorm winds moderately damage 20 to 25 homes and downed several trees and power lines from Cloudland to Menlo along Georgia Highway 48. Several vehicles were damaged from wind downed tree limbs in Menlo. Up to 500 residents and businesses were without electrical, telephone and cable services for nearly 21 hours. Most damage in Menlo was concentrated on Church Street west of Menlo United Methodist Church.
A tornado touched down near the east shore of Lake Lanier and damaged eight to ten docks at Aqualand and Sunrise Marinas and at least 600 boats. One 800 foot long dock at the Aqualand Marina was twisted like a pretzel. The tornado skipped east and downed several trees along U.S. Highway 23. Ten homes and a church were destroyed while another 15 homes sustained minor damage along the tornado path. Several recreational vehicles were overturned at Old Federal Park near Flowery Branch. Damage to property was estimated at two million dollars.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
28,810
Population (ACS)
$279K
Median home value
21
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 |
| May 5, 2021 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM ZETA | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cleveland 109
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in White County, Georgia?
250 events are on record between 1966 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $23.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in White County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 124 recorded events — 49.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed White County?
11 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 White County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include White County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is White County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates White County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the White 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
- Wheeler County 89
- Whitfield County 361
- Webster County 75
- Wilcox County 112
- Wayne County 322
- Wilkes County 119
Cite this page
“White County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/white-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.