NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Brooks, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Brooks, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Eloise in 1975. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Brooks
None of the 19 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Brooks; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The record near Brooks begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Eloise in 1975. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. None of the 19 systems has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Brooks. The strongest of the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 25, 2021; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on January 12, 2023, killed 4 people. Of the 140, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Brooks has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 99% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1982, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Brooks.
Compare Brooks's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Brooks
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 28 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 Brooks: 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 Brooks
By decade
- 2020s35(2 EF3+)
- 2010s30(2 EF3+)
- 2000s24(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF4 | 13 mi | 38.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 30.82 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 2 mi | 21.68 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF3 | 6 mi | 31.16 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F3 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F3 | 16 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 23 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 15 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 125.76 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 19 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F2 | 14 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F2 | 25 mi | 45.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Brooks
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Brooks since 1982, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 28 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 5 days, most recently March 26, 2011. The most recent report is from December 9, 2023. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Brooks
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atlanta, GA, 8 miles northwest of Brooks at 858 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.4 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 49.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. That 49.4 inches is more than at 37 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (34%). Williamson, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Experiment, GA): 54.2 inches a year, 4.8 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 37 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 75 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 |
| May | 83 | 58 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 41 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Year | 75 | 52 | 49.4 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Atlanta, GA (858 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 Brooks
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Brooks: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on August 3, 2023. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 14. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Brooks.
August 2, 2012: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Brooks — 8 injured, $1,000 damage.
July 20, 2007: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Brooks — 3 injured, $800,000 damage.
July 13, 2009: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Brooks — $600,000 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
Fayette County, which includes Brooks, 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 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.0 million a year, the 26th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (61%), 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.