NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buena Vista, 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
36 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Buena Vista, Georgia since 1851, 3 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 3
- Tropical storms
- 33
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Buena Vista
The strongest storm to pass near Buena Vista was Michael in 2018, a Category 1 hurricane with 79 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Buena Vista begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The 1880s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 36 systems, 4 have come since 2000. Buena Vista has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 66% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 1, 2007, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 13, 1954, killed 5 people. Of the 65, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on April 6, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Buena Vista. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1988, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Buena Vista.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Buena Vista
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 37 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 53 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 53 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Buena Vista: 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 Buena Vista
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s18
- 2000s13(2 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s9
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 17 mi | 49.5 mi | 5 / 75 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 40.14 mi | 2 / 11 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 3.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 13 mi | 75 mi | 2 / 5 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7.69 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Apr 23, 1971 | F2 | 18 mi | 3.8 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 9 mi | 71.5 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Apr 27, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 21.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 16.86 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 17, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 17.08 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 1, 1978 | F2 | 22 mi | 13.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buena Vista
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Buena Vista since 1988. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 15, 2024. The most recent report is from March 15, 2024. April has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buena Vista
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Plains SW Ga Exp Stn, GA, 21 miles southeast of Buena Vista at 500 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 36°F. December is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 50.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (24.3 of 50.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 36 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 72 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 42 nights a year. That 50.8 inches is more than at 51 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (47%). Box Springs, 15 miles north, has its own station (Talbotton, GA): 51.2 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Feb | 62 | 39 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 45 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 51 | 4.1 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 60 | 3.1 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Aug | 89 | 70 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Sep | 85 | 65 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 77 | 54 | 2.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 44 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 61 | 39 | 5.3 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 53 | 50.8 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Plains SW Ga Exp Stn, GA (500 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 Buena Vista
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 45 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buena Vista: 41 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 floods, 1 flash flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $189,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 63 mph, on June 21, 2014.
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
Marion County, which includes Buena Vista, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes; Very Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.3 million a year, the 149th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $997,000 (44%), 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 Buena Vista
- Ellaville, GA13 mi
- Box Springs, GA15 mi
- Richland, GA16 mi
- Fort Benning, GA23 mi
- Butler, GA24 mi
- Americus, GA24 mi
- Midland, GA25 mi
- Oglethorpe, GA26 mi
- Lumpkin, GA26 mi
- Columbus, GA27 mi
- Fort Mitchell, AL27 mi
- Ellerslie, GA27 mi
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