NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Americus, GA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
42 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Americus, Georgia since 1851, 6 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 75 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 6
- Tropical storms
- 36
- Tornadoes
- 75
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Americus
The strongest storm to pass near Americus was an unnamed storm in 1894, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Michael in 2018, whose centre came within 14 miles. The record near Americus begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane 60 miles away. Of the 42 systems, 6 have come since 2000. Americus has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 72% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 75 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on March 1, 2007, came within 3 miles. Of the 75, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 3, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Americus. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1958, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Americus.
Compare Americus's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Americus
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 60 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 14 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 58 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 15 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 17 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 29 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 62 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 23 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 29 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 29 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Americus: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Americus
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s15
- 2000s12(2 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 3 mi | 40.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 11 mi | 3.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 15, 1999 | F3 | 15 mi | 14.5 mi | 0 / 28 |
| Apr 23, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 13.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 23, 1971 | F3 | 18 mi | 13.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 11 mi | 75 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Apr 23, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jan 15, 1971 | F2 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 13 mi | 71.5 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 25 mi | 30.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 16.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 75, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Americus
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Americus since 1958, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently March 18, 2013. The most recent report is from March 25, 2023. March has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Americus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Americus, GA, 3 miles south of Americus at 397 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 35°F. July is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.4 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 53.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 42 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (16); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 60 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. That 53.4 inches is more than at 79 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (73%). Ellaville, 13 miles northwest, has its own station (Plains SW Ga Exp Stn, GA): 50.8 inches a year, 2.6 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 35 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Feb | 63 | 38 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Mar | 70 | 43 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 50 | 4.8 | 6 |
| May | 84 | 59 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 66 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 6.0 | 9 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Sep | 87 | 64 | 4.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 78 | 53 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 42 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 37 | 5.4 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 52 | 53.4 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Americus, GA (397 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Americus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Americus: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 lightning strikes, 3 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on March 28, 2009.
May 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind in Americus — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The Troup county 911and the La Grange newspaper reported that a number of trees were blown down around the county, especially on the west side of La Grange. At least five homes and one vehicle were damaged when large trees fell on them.”
March 28, 2009: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Americus — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 280 and Feldar Street.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Americus's 2 ZIP codes have filed 14 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $116,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 7% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 154 Georgia cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 19 have fewer than Americus.
Sumter County, which includes Americus, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Sumter County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.8 million a year, the 67th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (42%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Americus
- Ellaville, GA13 mi
- Oglethorpe, GA20 mi
- Montezuma, GA21 mi
- Buena Vista, GA24 mi
- Dawson, GA25 mi
- Richland, GA25 mi
- Leesburg, GA25 mi
- Vienna, GA26 mi
- Cordele, GA28 mi
- Unadilla, GA32 mi
- Reynolds, GA33 mi
- Butler, GA34 mi
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