NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Austell, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Austell, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 118
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Austell
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Austell; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Austell begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 17 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 63% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Austell. The strongest of the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 22, 1992; its path came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 24, 1975, killed 3 people. Of the 118, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Austell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 187 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Austell has more hail reports within 10 miles than 96% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Austell's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Austell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 65 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 Austell: 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 Austell
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s17(3 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 8 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 6 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 13 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 7 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F3 | 2 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 6.25 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 19 mi | 65.9 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 1 / 40 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Austell
The Storm Prediction Center has 187 hail reports within 10 miles of Austell since 1955, made on 132 separate days. Of these, 102 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 15, 2008. The most recent report is from June 26, 2025. April has the most reports, 53.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Austell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mableton 1 N, GA, 4 miles northeast of Austell at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 32°F. July is the wettest at 7.0 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 56.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (28.3 of 56.1 inches). September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.1 inches is more than at 89 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (82%). Hiram, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Dallas 7 NE, GA): 54.3 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 32 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 68 | 7.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 68 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 51 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 70 | 50 | 56.1 | 82 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mableton 1 N, GA (980 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 Austell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 291 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Austell: 249 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 18 lightning strikes and 4 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 15, and the NWS estimated $5.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 14, 2015. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 311 have had fewer than Austell.
July 13, 2010: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Austell — 2 killed.
May 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Austell — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
August 8, 2014: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Austell — 7 injured.
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 Austell's 2 ZIP codes have filed 302 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $18.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 185 claims (61% of all) and $16.3 million, then Hurricane Dennis in 2005 with 31. 74% 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, 142 have fewer than Austell.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 185 | $16.3 million |
| Hurricane Dennis2005 | 31 | $1.0 million |
Cobb County, which includes Austell, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cobb County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $209.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $125.3 million (60%), 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.