Bibb County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Georgia Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Bibb County is about the same as Georgia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Bibb County is about the same as Georgia average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #14
| Bibb County | 0.18 |
| Georgia | 0.08 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Bibb County | 0.0000 |
| Georgia | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #39
| Bibb County | 187.41 |
| Georgia | 179.92 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 11,909 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Bibb County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 0 | Cold: | 16 | Dense Fog: | 3 | Drought: | 58 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 480 | Hail: | 3,729 | Heat: | 10 | Heavy Snow: | 52 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 4 | Ice Storm: | 18 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 68 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 6,360 | Tropical Storm: | 18 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 17 | Winter Weather: | 62 |
| Other: | 1,010 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Bibb County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 2 historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Bibb County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 31.9 | 1964-03-13 | 4.4 | 40 | 33.2 | -83.4 |
| 19.0 | 1983-01-26 | 3.5 | 5 | 32.73 | -83.38 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 58 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Bibb County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.8 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°49'N / 83°46'W | 32°45'N / 83°37'W | 17.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | 0K | Bibb |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado touched down near Lizella and continued across Bibb county into extreme western Twiggs county near Dry Branch producing sporadic, but significant damage as it varied in intensity from EF0 to EF2. The tornado tracked from just east-northeast of Lizella across the south shores of Lake Tobesofkee, then across the city of Macon, producing widespread significant damage, and then eastward to the Twiggs county line. By far the most significant damage occurred within the city of Macon, especially along Eisenhower Parkway and Pio Nono Avenue where two businesses were completely destroyed and several others were heavily damaged. Macon State College was also hit by the tornado, destroying the gymnasium and causing significant damage to a number of other buildings on the campus. In addition, more than 50 percent of the trees on the campus either snapped in half or uprooted. Maximum wind speeds within the tornado were estimated at 130 mph, which occurred near the intersection of Eisenhower Parkway and Pio Nono Avenue. Nearly all of the 18 mile long path of the tornado fell within Bibb county. Less than one mile of the tornado occurred within Twiggs county. The maximum path width of the tornado was estimated to be 100 yards, mainly as it traveled through the Macon State College area. A summary of damages from Bibb county shows that 1,479 homes suffered at least some damage as a result of the storms. Ninety-three of these homes were destroyed, 275 suffered major damage, and 569 sustained minor damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 2.6 | 1958-01-31 | 2 | 32°49'N / 83°39'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bibb | |
| 2.8 | 1952-03-03 | 3 | 32°48'N / 83°41'W | 32°47'N / 83°37'W | 4.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Bibb |
| 3.0 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°47'N / 83°52'W | 32°52'N / 83°37'W | 15.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 5 | 50 | 2.5M | 0 | Bibb |
| 5.7 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°48'N / 83°49'W | 32°50'N / 83°46'W | 3.80 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bibb |
| 7.7 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 32°45'N / 83°50'W | 32°47'N / 83°48'W | 3.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0K | Bibb |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado which originally touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville in Crawford county, continued east-northeast into Bibb county lifting just southeast of Lizella. The tornado entered Bibb county three miles south-southeast of Lizella and lifted about one mile east-southeast of Lizella. The path length within Bibb county was about three miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile wide. Damage within Bibb county was primarily confined to trees and power lines. However, one home did sustain damage on Lower Thomaston Road. Several trees were down east of Lizella near U.S. Highway 80. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 8.1 | 1964-12-25 | 3 | 32°43'N / 84°00'W | 32°54'N / 83°40'W | 23.10 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 9.3 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°31'N / 84°02'W | 32°50'N / 83°20'W | 46.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Peach |
| 11.2 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°42'W | 32°40'N / 83°37'W | 5.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bibb |
| 11.4 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°47'N / 83°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 10 Yards | 1 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 11.5 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 32°43'N / 83°55'W | 32°46'N / 83°50'W | 7.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 0 | 9 | 500K | 0K | Crawford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF3 tornado touched down approximately four miles east of Knoxville and continued east-northeast into Bibb county ending just southeast of Lizella. The tornado exited Crawford county about 5.5 miles east of Sandy Point or about 9 miles east-northeast of Knoxville. The tornado traveled over six miles in Crawford county, but the path length of the entire track was approximately 8.5 miles long with a maximum path width of one-quarter mile. Significant damage was noted along the path of the tornado, especially along Sandy Point Road in northeast Crawford county. Here, several homes and outbuildings were heavily damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were either snapped or uprooted. Nine injuries were reported in the area of the damaged homes. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 13.8 | 1959-04-19 | 2 | 32°48'N / 83°30'W | 32°52'N / 83°25'W | 6.60 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Twiggs |
| 14.7 | 1964-12-26 | 3 | 32°54'N / 83°40'W | 33°02'N / 83°23'W | 18.90 Miles | 600 Yards | 2 | 16 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 15.4 | 1953-04-30 | 4 | 32°36'N / 83°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 333 Yards | 18 | 300 | 25.0M | 0 | Houston | |
| 17.2 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°02'N / 83°48'W | 33°04'N / 83°44'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Monroe |
| 17.8 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°40'N / 84°06'W | 32°47'N / 83°52'W | 15.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 15 | 2.5M | 0 | Crawford |
| 18.4 | 1971-07-19 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°56'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Houston | |
| 19.5 | 2005-08-29 | 2 | 32°33'N / 83°53'W | 32°36'N / 83°53'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.6M | 0 | Peach |
| Brief Description: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service confirmed that an F2 tornado had touched down just south of Fort Valley, crossed Georgia Highway 49 in Fort Valley and continued north for approximately four miles. The overall damage path was four miles long and 50 yards wide. The worst damage was along Taylor's Mill Road. Extensive damage occurred to homes and businesses in the area. Several homes and businesses were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, including a branch of the Robins Federal Credit Union. Hundreds of large trees in the area were completely uprooted, including a pecan orchard which was destroyed. Three people suffered minor injuries in the way of bruises and scrapes from tornado debris. Parts of Taylor's Mill Road and Georgia Highway 49 were blocked by debris and had to be closed. | |||||||||||
| 19.6 | 1992-11-22 | 2 | 33°04'N / 83°44'W | 33°07'N / 83°37'W | 8.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 20.0 | 1975-02-18 | 3 | 32°33'N / 83°56'W | 32°33'N / 83°46'W | 9.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 2 | 50 | 25.0M | 0 | Peach |
| 21.4 | 1953-04-30 | 3 | 32°42'N / 83°21'W | 2.00 Miles | 10 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 21.4 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°30'N / 83°44'W | 32°30'N / 83°36'W | 7.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Houston |
| 25.9 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 28.5 | 1962-02-22 | 2 | 32°36'N / 84°07'W | 0.80 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 29.6 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°36'N / 83°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 31.0 | 2007-03-01 | 2 | 32°29'N / 84°09'W | 32°34'N / 84°04'W | 8.00 Miles | 448 Yards | 1 | 4 | 500K | 0K | Taylor |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an EF2 tornado had tracked across a 7-mile stretch of eastern Taylor county from about three miles southwest of Potterville to about two miles east of Reynolds. The tornado traveled a path of between seven and eight miles with a maximum path width of 448 yards or roughly 1/3 of a mile wide. The heaviest damage was southwest of Potterville, where two mobile homes were destroyed and others were damaged. One of the mobile homes was rolled. One death and four injuries were reported in the area of the damaged and destroyed mobile homes. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the area. Several were down on Bear Road in Potterville. Damage to trees and roofs of several homes continued through and east of Reynolds, although the damage in this area was not as severe. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 32.2 | 1956-05-03 | 2 | 33°02'N / 84°12'W | 33°07'N / 84°06'W | 8.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lamar |
| 32.4 | 1964-12-25 | 3 | 33°02'N / 83°23'W | 33°08'N / 83°06'W | 17.80 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Baldwin |
| 33.7 | 1967-07-07 | 2 | 32°40'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 34.1 | 1961-06-26 | 2 | 32°24'N / 83°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 34.5 | 1954-03-13 | 3 | 32°32'N / 84°22'W | 32°40'N / 84°06'W | 18.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Taylor |
| 35.0 | 1958-01-24 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°22'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 16 | 250K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 35.0 | 1971-01-15 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°22'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 35.3 | 1963-01-11 | 2 | 32°54'N / 84°20'W | 32°55'N / 84°15'W | 5.20 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Upson |
| 35.6 | 1972-03-16 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 36.9 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°33'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 37.5 | 2006-12-31 | 2 | 32°16'N / 83°43'W | 32°16'N / 83°43'W | 0 | 1 | 150K | 250K | Dooly | ||
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, GA, concluded that a tornado touched down near the intersection of Snow Springs Road or Georgia Highway 230, just west-northwest of Unadilla, and traveled 1/2 mile to a point just east-northeast of Unadilla. While the tornado was initially determined to be an F0 tornado, it intensified to an F2 tornado before dissipating. The tornado first touched down in an open cotton field pushing over a 30-yard section of an irrigation system near Snow Springs Road and U.S. Highway 41. The tornado then moved east to northeast to the northeast side of Unadilla breaking trees, damaging signs, roofs, and billboards along its path. On the east side of Unadilla, three mobile homes were destroyed, several pecan trees were uprooted in a pecan orchard, and shingles were peeled from several homes in the area. The tornado dissipated in the area of Peavy Street and Peavy Lane. The tornado was determined to be approximately 50 yards wide at its widest point and traveled a distance of about 0.5 miles. One minor injury was reported at one of the destroyed mobile homes as a result of minor cuts, bruises, and scrapes from debris. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, closed upper low moved from Texas on December 29th into the Ohio Valley on December 31st. The system weakened considerably as it moved out of Texas, where a number of tornadoes occurred. However, the trailing trough still brought showers and thunderstorms to the southeast as it moved through the area on New Year's Eve. In the southern portion of this area, although instability was limited, shear was quite strong. As a result, a small thunderstorm spawned a tornado in northern Dooly county. This same cell continued to threaten areas further east, but no further tornadoes or damage was reported. | |||||||||||
| 37.6 | 2007-03-01 | 2 | 32°39'N / 83°09'W | 32°46'N / 82°58'W | 13.00 Miles | 895 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0K | Wilkinson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that an EF2 tornado had touched down in southwest Wilkinson county about 4.5 miles west-southwest of Nicklesville and tracked over 13 miles to a point nine miles northeast of Nicklesville. The maximum path width was 1/2 mile. The tornado traveled through a mostly rural area. Damage was confined mainly to trees and power lines. Most of the damage was focused along Georgia Highway 112. One home sustained minor to moderate damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 38.3 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°16'W | 32°31'N / 84°02'W | 20.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Macon |
| 38.7 | 1961-03-31 | 3 | 32°15'N / 83°44'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 1 | 14 | 2.5M | 0 | Dooly | |
| 39.8 | 1953-04-18 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Macon | |
| 40.1 | 1992-11-22 | 4 | 33°11'N / 83°27'W | 33°25'N / 83°12'W | 20.00 Miles | 867 Yards | 4 | 55 | 25.0M | 0 | Putnam |
| 41.1 | 1975-03-13 | 2 | 32°12'N / 83°54'W | 32°15'N / 83°46'W | 8.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Dooly |
| 41.2 | 1971-04-23 | 2 | 32°22'N / 84°13'W | 32°24'N / 84°10'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 10 | 25K | 0 | Macon |
| 41.3 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°12'N / 83°50'W | 32°14'N / 83°46'W | 4.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dooly |
| 42.4 | 1996-11-08 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°10'W | 32°25'N / 83°08'W | 4.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 1 | 6 | 200K | 0 | Dodge |
| Brief Description: A mixture of severe thunderstorm winds and tornado damage occurred in a track from near Chester in northern Dodge county into Laurens county. In Dodge county near the intersection of highways 257 and 126 down-burst/straight-line winds pushed over several very large oak and sycamore trees, blew the tin roof off of an older home, and blew the steeple off of a church. The roof was lifted from a stronger, well-built home about three-quarters of a mile from the Dodge/Laruens county line. A tornado touched down just inside Dodge county near the Dodge/Laurens county line destroying a double-wide mobile home. A seven year old girl was killed and six other family members were injured. Victims were found in a wooded area as far as 200 yards away from where the mobile home had stood. The home had not been tied down. F7MH | |||||||||||
| 43.7 | 1972-01-05 | 2 | 32°11'N / 83°36'W | 32°11'N / 83°33'W | 3.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Montgomery |
| 44.0 | 1969-05-18 | 2 | 33°20'N / 83°55'W | 33°32'N / 83°47'W | 15.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Butts |
| 44.4 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°16'N / 84°14'W | 32°18'N / 84°02'W | 12.10 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Macon |
| 44.6 | 1967-03-06 | 2 | 33°27'N / 83°36'W | 0.80 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jasper | |
| 45.6 | 2008-05-11 | 2 | 32°36'N / 83°04'W | 32°36'N / 82°50'W | 14.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 2 | 2 | 1.4M | 0K | Laurens |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado touched down in far northern Laurens county, just south of the Wilkinson county line. The tornado initially touched down as an EF0 tornado near the intersection of Old Macon Road and Oscar Wynn Road. The tornado quickly intensified to an EF2 tornado as it tracked almost due eastward and crossed U.S. Highway 441 at the 2700 block, about seven miles northwest of Dublin, or near the intersection of U.S. Highway 441 and Evergreen Road. Here, a double-wide mobile home was destroyed and the occupants, a man and woman in their early 50s were both killed. Their two grandchildren sustained non-life threatening injuries. Another home along Evergreen Road was also destroyed as the EF2 tornado continued on its eastward track. The tornado continued eastward and weakened back to an EF0 as it crossed the Oconee River. The tornado then once again strengthened to an EF2 as it crossed Buckeye Road in the 2100 block, approximaltely four miles north-northeast of East Dublin. EF2 tornado damage was noted to a home at 2185 Buckeye Road and EF1 tornado damage to another home at 1533 Buckeye Road. In between the destruction to the homes on Evergreen Road and those on Buckeye Road, sporadic tree and power line damage was observed, mostly consistent with an EF0 intensity rating. The tornado path length was about 15 miles. A maximum path width of 250 yards was observed at the tornado crossed U.S. Highway 441 at Evergreen Road. All together this tornado resulted in the destruction of two mobile homes, major damage to six other site built homes, some shifted off their foundations, one home with a missing roof, and many other homes with minor roof or siding damage. Numerous sheds and outbuildings were also destroyed. Several dozen trees were either uprooted or snapped off along the path of the tornado, along with several power lines. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A stationary front was draped across north Georgia early on May 10th with an active northwest flow aloft. Meanwhile...a vigorous short wave aloft was approaching the area from the southern plains. The stationary front provided the focus for two rounds of showers and thunderstorms, one early in the morning on the 10th and another in the afternoon. The activity tracked east-southeast with the upper flow aloft, mainly across north Georgia during the early morning and across central Georgia during the afternoon. An isolated strong supercell also tracked across the southern part of central Georgia during the evening. After a lull of convective activity for about four hours, intense multicell thunderstorms tracked into the area from Alabama after midnight and before dawn on the 11th. As these thunderstorms tracked across west central and central Georgia, 15 tornadoes were identified by subsequent surveys making this the most significant tornado outbreak to affect the area since the Katrina-associated tornadoes on August 29, 2005. Millions of dollars of property damage were reported as many homes were destroyed from these tornadoes from the western and southern suburbs of Atlanta southeastward across Macon, Dublin, and other counties in east central and southeast Georgia. Many of these counties were eligible for disaster assistance from the federal government. In addition to the tornadoes and thunderstorm winds that caused extensive damage in dozens of counties across north and central Georgia during the early morning hours of May 11th, strong gradient winds developed on the back side of the strong cold front that moved through the area as low pressure intensified across the mid-Atlantic region. The strong winds combined with wet ground resulted in dozens of trees being blown down in some north Georgia counties. There were also two deaths as a result of downed trees in Barrow and Gwinnett county, all non-thunderstorm-related winds. | |||||||||||
| 45.7 | 1972-01-13 | 2 | 32°30'N / 83°02'W | 32°37'N / 82°54'W | 11.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Laurens |
| 48.0 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 32°13'N / 84°09'W | 32°13'N / 84°06'W | 3.00 Miles | 1790 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2K | 0K | Macon |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City confirmed that the EF3 tornado, that originated in Webster county near Chambliss and tracked across Sumter county from south of Plains, through Americus, to north of Methvins, continued briefly into extreme southern Macon county before lifting south of Oglethorpe just west of the Flint River in a very rural, swamp like area of the county. The tornado path length within Macon county was approximately three miles. Damage within Macon county was confined to trees and a few power lines. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A major, negatively tilted and closed upper trough rotated through the mid-south and southeast U.S. on March 1st. A 150kt jet was located over the region at 250mb with a strong 50kt low-level jet from central Alabama into central Tennessee. A wedge of cool air was present over much of north central and northeast Georgia. Rain, which spread over this area early in the day, helped enhance the wedge of cool air. Little to no severe weather was noted north of the wedge boundary across north Georgia where the air mass remained relatively cool and stable. Meanwhile...a warm, humid air mass was present across much of central and south Georgia where dewpoints had risen well into the 60s during the afternoon. The strong upper dynamics present over this region combined with the instability just south of the wedge provided a very favorable environment for long lived, strong tornadoes. A total of 14 tornadoes affecting 17 counties tracked across central and east central Georgia and within the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area during the late afternoon and evening hours of March 1st. This was the second greatest number of tornadoes recorded to have occurred in the Peachtree City, Georgia forecast area within a 24-hour period, second only to the 16 tornadoes, affecting 18 counties, associated with Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005. The March 1st tornadoes spanned an area from Stewart county in the far southwest part of the county warning area to Warren county in the far east central portion of the county warning area. The first tornado touched down in Stewart county at 4:11 pm EST and the last tornado lifted in Marion county at 10:55 pm EST. By far the hardest hit county was Sumter county, and especially the city of Americus, where hundreds of homes and business, including the regional hospital, were heavily damaged or destroyed. Additional tornadoes were reported further south in Tallahassee and Jacksonville's, Florida's forecast areas. Federal disaster assistance had been approved for 1,836 households across the state for a total of $14.2 million. Another $5.8 million had been approved for public assistance of debris removal and to repair infrastructure. The Small Business Association also approved $7 million in disaster assistance loans. Overall damages, however, are estimated to be several hundred million. Substantial rainfall fell across much of the state, but rainfall amounts of three to five inches were common across central and east central areas. The heaviest rainfall fell in the Hancock, Putnam, and Baldwin county areas, where some spots received in excess of six inches of rain. Some flooding was reported in these areas. | |||||||||||
| 48.4 | 2006-01-02 | 3 | 33°09'N / 84°27'W | 33°09'N / 84°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 3 | 750K | 0 | Pike |
| Brief Description: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service and confirmed by Emergency Managers from both Pike and Meriwether counties concluded that an F3 tornado touched down one mile southeast of Hollonville in northwest Pike county and traveled east for approximately 3 miles, terminating at a point about 4 miles east-southeast of Hollonville in north central Pike county. Five homes along the path were extensively damaged or destroyed. One home was moved 60 feet from its foundation. Two vehicles were thrown 250 yards. Several farm structures were also damaged in the area. A number of trees and power lines were also down in the area. Three injuries were reported during the event. Two men that were working in a barn were injured when the tornado blew the barn away. A third man was injured while clinging to a fence post that the tornado ripped from the ground. The tornado had an overall path length of 3 miles with a path width of 1/4 mile. One interesting note is that family photographs from one of the homes destroyed near Hollonville were found as far away as Williamson, near the Spalding county line. | |||||||||||
| 49.1 | 1989-11-08 | 2 | 32°07'N / 83°30'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 1 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Wilcox | |
| 49.3 | 1960-05-07 | 2 | 32°06'N / 83°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dooly | |
| 49.5 | 1965-07-11 | 2 | 33°30'N / 83°35'W | 33°33'N / 83°42'W | 7.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Newton |
| 49.8 | 1964-12-24 | 3 | 33°31'N / 84°03'W | 33°29'N / 83°50'W | 12.70 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Newton |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.