Macon County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Georgia Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Macon County is about the same as Georgia average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Macon County is higher than Georgia average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #76
| Macon County | 0.03 |
| 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
| Macon 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, #35
| Macon County | 190.09 |
| 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 9,850 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Macon 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: | 424 | Hail: | 2,872 | Heat: | 10 | Heavy Snow: | 48 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 4 | Ice Storm: | 18 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 63 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 5,558 | Tropical Storm: | 15 | Wildfire: | 5 | Winter Storm: | 14 | Winter Weather: | 57 |
| Other: | 685 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Macon County.
Historical Earthquake Events
A total of 1 historical earthquake event that had a recorded magnitude of 3.5 or above found in or near Macon County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Depth (km) | Latitude | Longitude |
| 46.5 | 1983-01-26 | 3.5 | 5 | 32.73 | -83.38 |
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 76 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Macon County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 5.0 | 1953-04-18 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°01'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Macon | |
| 6.4 | 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 |
| 7.4 | 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 |
| 8.2 | 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 |
| 11.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 11.4 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 14.6 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°15'N / 84°18'W | 32°16'N / 84°14'W | 4.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Schley |
| 16.1 | 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 |
| 16.6 | 1962-02-22 | 2 | 32°36'N / 84°07'W | 0.80 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 17.0 | 1957-04-05 | 2 | 32°12'N / 84°21'W | 32°18'N / 84°16'W | 8.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 2 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Schley |
| 17.1 | 1961-03-31 | 2 | 32°14'N / 84°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Schley | |
| 17.1 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°33'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 17.3 | 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 |
| 17.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 18.0 | 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 |
| 18.6 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°11'N / 84°20'W | 32°15'N / 84°18'W | 5.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 19.3 | 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 |
| 19.7 | 1971-07-19 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°56'W | 0.10 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Houston | |
| 20.3 | 1961-03-31 | 3 | 32°15'N / 83°44'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 1 | 14 | 2.5M | 0 | Dooly | |
| 20.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 21.9 | 1971-01-15 | 2 | 32°03'N / 84°02'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Sumter | |
| 22.5 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 31°58'N / 84°27'W | 32°13'N / 84°04'W | 32.00 Miles | 1790 Yards | 2 | 8 | 110.0M | 0K | Sumter |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, Georgia concluded that the EF3 tornado that first touched down in southeast Webster county continued to track northeast from the southwest to the northeast corner of Sumter county and then continued into extreme southern Macon county before finally lifting. The tornado tracked a total distance on the ground of approximately 40 miles. The tornado entered Sumter county about 4.75 miles southwest of Plains in southwest Sumter county and exited the northeast part of the county about 9 miles north of Methvins in northeast Sumter county. This was by far the most violent and devastating tornado of the March 1st outbreak. The tornado tracked roughly 32 miles across Sumter county with a maximum path width of 1.0 mile wide, which occurred in the Americus area. Damage within the city of Americus was extensive, although structures, trees, and power lines were down along the entire path of the tornado. The most significant damage in Americus was to the Sumter Regional Hospital, of which a significant portion was destroyed. Hundreds of homes and businesses in the Americus area were either totally destroyed or sustained significant damage. Hunderds of vehicles were also damaged or destroyed by debris and/or tossed about like matchsticks. The majority of the damage was within the vicinity of the Sumter Regional Hospital. Two deaths were reported at a home in Americus when a wall collapsed on a 43 year-old male and a 53-year old female. At least eight injuries were documented, but there may have been more. Within the city of Americus, proper, there were 1235 total structures damaged or destroyed, including 217 businesses, 993 residences, 3 cemeteries, 10 churches, 1 fire station, 1 hospital, 8 recreational facilities/parks, and 2 schools. There were 75 structures (42 businesses, 31 residences, 1 hospital, 1 church) were destroyed. There were 148 structures (27 businesses, 116 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches) with major damage. There were 331 structures (60 businesses, 260 residences, 3 recreational facilities/parks, 5 churches, 1 school, 2 cemeteries) with major damage and 681 structures (88 businesses, 586 residences, 2 recreational facilities/parks, 2 churches, 1 school, 1 cemetery, 1 fire station) with minor 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. | |||||||||||
| 22.7 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°11'N / 84°25'W | 32°11'N / 84°20'W | 4.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Schley |
| 23.0 | 2000-12-16 | 2 | 32°00'N / 84°10'W | 32°04'N / 83°59'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 310K | 0 | Sumter |
| Brief Description: A National Weather Service disaster survey team reported that an F2 tornado first touched down at 9:30 pm EST 6 miles southeast of Americus, Georgia, on Henry Hart Road, midway between Georgia Highway 377 and U. S. Highway 280. The tornado then moved northeast at approximately 45 mph lifting 1 mile east of the Flint river at Georgia Highway 27 and Joe Stewart Road around 9:42 pm EST. The tornado cut a path up to 100 yards wide and traveled on the ground about 10 miles or 12 minutes. Although the tornado traveled through mainly rural areas, significant damage was reported. A wooden frame house was completely destroyed near the tornado's touchdown point on Henry Hart Road, while another home was damaged nearby. As the tornado continued along its northeastward path, five outbuildings were destroyed, three barns were destroyed, two cattle were killed, one large camper was overturned, one high tension power line tower was severely damaged, and a few temporary construction trailers were damaged. Finally, just before the tornado lifted, several chicken houses were destroyed on Joe Stewart Road. As a result, nearly 400 chickens were killed. In addition, numerous trees and power lines were blown down all across the county. There were no injuries or deaths reported with the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 23.1 | 1999-04-15 | 3 | 32°03'N / 83°58'W | 32°07'N / 83°43'W | 14.50 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 28 | 10.0M | 0 | Dooly |
| Brief Description: An NWS Storm survey showed the tornado touched down along highway 27 at the Flint River near Drayton. The tornado hopped eastward along highway 27, demolishing pecan orchards and barns, before devastating the town of Vienna. It exited the town between 2 schools, with only minor damage to either. It later crossed I-75 between Georgia highways 27 and 215, blocking the Interstate with debris. The storm lifted a short distance east of there between Noble Gin Road and Smyrna Church Road. The EMA director said 25 percent of homes and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged. Of the 28 injuries the most serious was a broken leg. Newspaper accounts reported 69 houses, 15 mobile homes, and 9 businesses were destroyed. Another 256 homes, 12 churches, 10 mobile homes, and 6 businesses suffered damage. Three apartment complexes were ruined and 70 power poles were ripped from the ground. Around 400 people were left homeless in a town with a population of over 2700. | |||||||||||
| 23.2 | 1965-07-06 | 2 | 32°04'N / 84°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumter | |
| 23.6 | 1960-05-07 | 2 | 32°06'N / 83°48'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dooly | |
| 23.7 | 1967-07-07 | 2 | 32°40'N / 84°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Taylor | |
| 24.3 | 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 |
| 24.6 | 1971-04-23 | 3 | 32°01'N / 84°00'W | 32°01'N / 83°57'W | 3.60 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Sumter |
| 24.6 | 1961-04-15 | 2 | 32°00'N / 84°12'W | 32°03'N / 84°09'W | 5.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumter |
| 25.1 | 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 |
| 25.5 | 1971-04-23 | 3 | 32°01'N / 83°58'W | 32°02'N / 83°48'W | 9.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dooly |
| 26.2 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°20'N / 84°30'W | 0.30 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Marion | |
| 27.3 | 1953-04-18 | 2 | 32°19'N / 84°31'W | 0.20 Mile | 700 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Marion | |
| 27.8 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°18'N / 84°35'W | 32°20'N / 84°28'W | 7.40 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Marion |
| 27.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 28.4 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°10'N / 84°33'W | 32°11'N / 84°25'W | 7.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 30.1 | 1989-10-01 | 2 | 32°01'N / 83°41'W | 32°04'N / 83°44'W | 4.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dooly |
| 30.2 | 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 |
| 30.3 | 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 |
| 30.6 | 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 |
| 30.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 30.9 | 1953-04-30 | 4 | 32°36'N / 83°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 333 Yards | 18 | 300 | 25.0M | 0 | Houston | |
| 31.0 | 1970-12-16 | 2 | 31°57'N / 84°15'W | 0.50 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Sumter | |
| 33.1 | 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 |
| 34.6 | 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 |
| 35.1 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 32°09'N / 84°39'W | 32°10'N / 84°33'W | 6.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Webster |
| 35.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 36.2 | 1958-11-28 | 2 | 31°58'N / 83°39'W | 0.60 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Crisp | |
| 36.5 | 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 |
| 36.6 | 1989-11-08 | 2 | 32°07'N / 83°30'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 1 | 8 | 250K | 0 | Wilcox | |
| 37.6 | 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 |
| 38.9 | 1958-01-31 | 2 | 32°49'N / 83°39'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bibb | |
| 39.0 | 2007-03-01 | 3 | 31°55'N / 84°33'W | 31°58'N / 84°26'W | 8.00 Miles | 1790 Yards | 0 | 3 | 1.0M | 0K | Webster |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a strong, violent, and long-lived EF3 tornado tracked across southeast Webster, much of Sumter, and far southern Macon counties. The tornado touched down near Chambliss on the Webster/Terrell county line and tracked east-northeast exiting the county into Sumter county near Bottsford. While the overall path length of the tornado was around 40 miles, the path length within Webster county was between seven and eight miles. While the tornado reached its maximum path width of 1.0 mile in Sumter county near Americus, it was determined to be less than this within Webster county. A path of significant damage was noted across southeast Webster county. A concrete block house and two machine shops on East Centerpoint Road just northeast of Chambliss were completely destroyed. Three injuries resulted from the damage here. Twenty-five feet of asphalt in front of the home was also ripped up by the tornado. On a nearby farm, five cows were killed when they were tossed about by the tornado. A tractor-trailer traveling on Georgia Highway 520 near Chambliss was overturned causing it to catch on fire and burn. Very nearby, at the intersection of Georgia Highway 520 and TV Tower Road, a 1096 foot Georgia Public Television transmission tower was destroyed when two-thirds of the tower was twisted off by the tornado and destroyed. Only 150 feet of the 1096 foot tower was left standing after the tornado passed. Numerous trees and power lines were also down in the area. 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.2 | 1966-08-04 | 2 | 31°48'N / 84°06'W | 0.20 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lee | |
| 39.9 | 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 |
| 40.0 | 1958-01-24 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°22'W | 1.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 16 | 250K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 40.0 | 1971-01-15 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°22'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 40.0 | 1961-06-26 | 2 | 32°24'N / 83°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 41.0 | 1972-03-16 | 2 | 32°23'N / 83°21'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 250K | 0 | Bleckley | |
| 41.1 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°50'N / 84°24'W | 31°51'N / 84°22'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Terrell |
| 43.1 | 1953-04-30 | 2 | 32°47'N / 83°30'W | 0.50 Mile | 10 Yards | 1 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 45.3 | 1971-04-23 | 3 | 31°48'N / 84°36'W | 31°55'N / 84°29'W | 10.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Paulding |
| 45.4 | 1969-12-25 | 2 | 31°42'N / 84°15'W | 31°45'N / 84°12'W | 4.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Lee |
| 46.6 | 1961-04-09 | 2 | 32°03'N / 84°48'W | 32°05'N / 84°44'W | 4.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Stewart |
| 46.9 | 1953-04-30 | 3 | 32°42'N / 83°21'W | 2.00 Miles | 10 Yards | 1 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 47.2 | 1993-10-30 | 2 | 31°40'N / 84°10'W | 31°42'N / 84°02'W | 5.00 Miles | 750 Yards | 3 | 27 | 50.0M | 0 | Lee |
| Brief Description: A tornado struck a subdivision five miles north of Albany and killed three people and injured another 27. At least 42 homes were destroyed or severely damaged. Also, fifteen mobile homes were completely destroyed by the F2 tornado. The three fatalities occurred in a mobile home and all three victims bodies were blown 75 to 150 feet away from the dwelling. Most of the damaged or destroyed homes were two story with brick or stucco exterior. Several residents noted that the tornado sounded like a freight train as it passed overhead. One elderly lady stated that her dog became restless and started barking 20 minutes before the tornado struck her home. Continuous lightning was observed by several residents prior to and after the tornado touchdown. Several cars were destroyed by fallen trees or wind blown debris. Most of the trees downed by the tornado winds were 60 to 70 feet tall Southern Pine. Most trees were snapped in half and laid to rest in a general northeast direction. Property damage estimates topped $12 million dollars. The tornado stayed on the ground most of its lifetime and varied in width from one-quarter to one-half mile. The damage path was approximately five miles long and ran in a SW to NE direction. The forward speed of the tornado was 60 miles an hour. (F32M)(M14M)(M8M) | |||||||||||
| 47.3 | 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 |
| 47.5 | 1963-01-20 | 2 | 32°38'N / 83°18'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
| 48.4 | 1971-04-23 | 2 | 32°01'N / 83°20'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Wilcox | |
| 48.6 | 1954-12-05 | 2 | 31°58'N / 84°57'W | 32°09'N / 84°39'W | 21.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 1 | 20 | 250K | 0 | Stewart |
| 48.6 | 1957-04-08 | 2 | 31°52'N / 84°42'W | 31°55'N / 84°38'W | 5.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Randolph |
| 49.3 | 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 |
| 49.4 | 1954-12-05 | 3 | 32°52'N / 84°43'W | 32°52'N / 84°36'W | 6.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Meriwether |
| 49.4 | 1961-02-24 | 2 | 32°36'N / 83°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Twiggs | |
* 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.