NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bonaire, 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
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Bonaire, Georgia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 36
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Bonaire
The strongest storm to pass near Bonaire was an unnamed storm in 1894, a Category 1 hurricane with 81 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Helene in 2024, whose centre came within 28 miles. The record near Bonaire begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 38 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Bonaire has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 60% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 30, 1953; its path came within 3 miles, and it killed 18 people. Of the 115, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 53 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on April 6, 2025. Bonaire has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 104 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Bonaire has more hail reports within 10 miles than 80% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Bonaire's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bonaire
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 28 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 7 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 29 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 69 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bonaire: 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 Bonaire
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26
- 2000s11(1 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s6
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s24(2 EF3+)
- 1950s16(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 1953 | F4 | 3 mi | 1 mi | 18 / 300 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 19 mi | 49.5 mi | 5 / 75 |
| Feb 18, 1975 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.7 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Dec 25, 1964 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Mar 31, 1961 | F3 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 1 / 14 |
| Apr 30, 1953 | F3 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF3 | 1 mi | 3.89 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 19 mi | 9.72 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 3, 1952 | F3 | 15 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 5 mi | 75 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Apr 30, 1953 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 13 mi | 6.66 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bonaire
The Storm Prediction Center has 104 hail reports within 10 miles of Bonaire since 1956, made on 82 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 19, 2003. The most recent report is from September 7, 2023. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bonaire
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Warner Robins, GA, 4 miles north of Bonaire at 420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 51.8 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (26.3 of 51.8 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (14); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 40 nights a year. That 51.8 inches is more than at 65 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (60%). Byron, 10 miles northwest, has its own station (Macon Middle Ga Regional Airport, GA): 47.0 inches a year, 4.8 less than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 36 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 62 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 46 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 61 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 91 | 72 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 72 | 5.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 85 | 66 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 77 | 56 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 67 | 44 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 60 | 38 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Year | 76 | 54 | 51.8 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Warner Robins, GA (420 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 Bonaire
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 230 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bonaire: 203 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 lightning strikes, 10 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on May 3, 1997. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 189 have had fewer than Bonaire.
May 3, 2021: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Bonaire — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
September 11, 2008: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Bonaire — 12 injured.
NWS: “The Macon Telegraph reported that 12 people, nine adults and three teenagers, were injured when lightning struck a goal post on the football field at Bonaire Middle School during a Thursday evening football game.”
May 31, 2001: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Bonaire — 1 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
Houston County, which includes Bonaire, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Houston County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $33.2 million a year, the 22nd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.0 million (48%), 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.