NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Blue Ridge, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Blue Ridge, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Blue Ridge
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Blue Ridge; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 55 mph winds when its centre passed 1 mile away. The record near Blue Ridge begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 40 miles away. The 1900s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Blue Ridge. The highest rating among the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 3, 1974, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 27, 1994, killed 9 people. Of the 46, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Blue Ridge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 41 times since 1986, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Blue Ridge.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Blue Ridge
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Blue Ridge: 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 Blue Ridge
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s9
- 2000s3
- 1990s13(2 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 29.5 mi | 9 / 67 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 7 mi | 24 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 24 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 25 mi | 44 mi | 3 / 45 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 17 mi | 21.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1985 | F2 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 30, 1977 | F2 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | in town | 15.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 16 mi | 0.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 0.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF1 | 3 mi | 11.77 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 22, 2011 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Blue Ridge
The Storm Prediction Center has 41 hail reports within 10 miles of Blue Ridge since 1986, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from March 27, 2017. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Blue Ridge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 22 miles east of Blue Ridge at 1,949 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 25°F. January is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.2 inches; the year adds up to 60.6 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 60.6 inches is more than at 103 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (95%). Mineral Bluff, 7 miles north, has its own station (Murphy 4ESE, NC): 59.5 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 25 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 60 | 34 | 5.6 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 29 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Year | 69 | 43 | 60.6 | 93 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA (1,949 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 Blue Ridge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 113 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Blue Ridge: 97 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on October 14, 2014. February has had the most flash floods, 5 of 12. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 223 have had fewer than Blue Ridge.
May 8, 2003: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — 1 killed.
April 17, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — $250,000 damage.
December 24, 2015: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Blue Ridge — $234,000 damage.
NWS: “The Fannin County Emergency Manager reported several secondary roads were flooded from nearby streams. S.”
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 Blue Ridge's ZIP code 30513 have filed 23 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $184,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 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, 47 have fewer than Blue Ridge.
Fannin County, which includes Blue Ridge, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fannin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.4 million a year, the 53rd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 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.
Cities near Blue Ridge
- Morganton, GA7 mi
- Mineral Bluff, GA7 mi
- Epworth, GA8 mi
- Mc Caysville, GA10 mi
- Copperhill, TN11 mi
- Ellijay, GA13 mi
- Blairsville, GA18 mi
- Murphy, NC21 mi
- Talking Rock, GA24 mi
- Crandall, GA25 mi
- Chatsworth, GA26 mi
- Old Fort, TN27 mi
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