NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bethlehem, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bethlehem, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Bethlehem
None of the 14 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bethlehem; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near Bethlehem begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 32 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 14 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 76% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Bethlehem. The strongest of the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on May 28, 1973; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F2 on March 31, 1973, killed 2 people. Of the 70, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 21 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bethlehem. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1974, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Bethlehem has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Bethlehem's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bethlehem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 61 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 Bethlehem: 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 Bethlehem
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s8
- 1990s15
- 1980s13
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 18.7 mi | 1 / 65 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 8 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 6 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 20 mi | 9.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 1984 | F2 | 25 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 28, 1976 | F2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1976 | F2 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bethlehem
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Bethlehem since 1974, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 8 days, most recently April 23, 2009. The most recent report is from April 7, 2022. April and May have the most reports, 19 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bethlehem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Winder 4S, GA, in Bethlehem 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 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); 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%). Statham, 9 miles east, has its own station (U Of Ga Plt Sci, GA): 51.3 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 91°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 Bethlehem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 187 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bethlehem: 156 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes and 3 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on June 18, 2015. February has had the most flash floods, 4 of 16. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 276 have had fewer than Bethlehem.
August 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Bethlehem — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
July 26, 2012: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Bethlehem — $3.0 million damage.
April 8, 2006: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Bethlehem — $250,000 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 Bethlehem, 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.