NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Auburn, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Auburn, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Auburn
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Auburn; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. The record near Auburn begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 78% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Auburn. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 20, 1998, came within 25 miles. Of the 78, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 2, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Auburn. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 113 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Auburn has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Auburn's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Auburn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Auburn: 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 Auburn
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s9
- 2000s11
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1998 | F3 | 25 mi | 4 mi | 12 / 171 |
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.7 mi | 1 / 65 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 19 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 17 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 8 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 10 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2010 | EF2 | 7 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1989 | F2 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 11 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Auburn
The Storm Prediction Center has 113 hail reports within 10 miles of Auburn since 1984, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 21, 2018. The most recent report is from April 10, 2025. April and May have the most reports, 27 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Auburn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winder 4S, GA, 9 miles southeast of Auburn at 889 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 32°F. March is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 50.9 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (25.3 of 50.9 inches). September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 4.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.9 inches is more than at 52 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (48%). Braselton, 7 miles north, has its own station (Gainesville Gilmer Airport, GA): 52.5 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 32 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 58 | 35 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 66 | 40 | 5.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 47 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 50.9 | 69 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Winder 4S, GA (889 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 Auburn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 191 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Auburn: 144 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 lightning strikes, 12 flash floods and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $6.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 69 mph, on July 1, 2012. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 223 have had fewer than Auburn.
July 8, 2008: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Auburn — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
July 9, 2008: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Auburn — 1 injured.
July 26, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Auburn — $3.0 million damage.
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
Barrow County, which includes Auburn, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barrow County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.2 million a year, the 45th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.6 million (59%), 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.