NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cartersville, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cartersville, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 103
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
40 deaths in all
What the records show for Cartersville
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cartersville; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Cartersville begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 12 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cartersville. The highest rating among the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 10 miles. Of the 103, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Cartersville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 107 times since 1971, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Cartersville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cartersville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cartersville: 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 Cartersville
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s15(5 EF3+)
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(6 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 10 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 3 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 17 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 11 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 5 mi | 16.93 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF3 | 14 mi | 21.78 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 16 mi | 8.8 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 17 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 22, 2011 | EF3 | 18 mi | 11.42 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 23.05 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 15 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 30 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cartersville
The Storm Prediction Center has 107 hail reports within 10 miles of Cartersville since 1971, made on 75 separate days. Of these, 70 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on May 14, 1995. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 26.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cartersville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cartersville Airport, GA, 5 miles southwest of Cartersville at 763 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 31°F. February and March are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 48.2 inches over 78 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 46% of the year's precipitation (22.1 of 48.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. October has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal October there has highs of 74°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 67 nights a year. That 48.2 inches is more than at 23 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (21%). White, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Allatoona Dam 2, GA): 51.6 inches a year, 3.4 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 31 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Feb | 57 | 34 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 4.2 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 56 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 3.9 | 8 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 3.6 | 4 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Dec | 55 | 34 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 48.2 | 78 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cartersville Airport, GA (763 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 Cartersville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 201 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cartersville: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 14 lightning strikes, 10 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 2 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $26.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on February 26, 2008. February has had the most flash floods, 15 of 21. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 320 have had fewer than Cartersville.
June 18, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Cartersville — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
September 12, 2023: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Cartersville — 1 killed.
August 21, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Cartersville — 1 injured, $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
Flood insurance policyholders in Cartersville's 2 ZIP codes have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1996, and were paid $770,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2025, with 10. 9% 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, 73 have fewer than Cartersville.
Bartow County, which includes Cartersville, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bartow 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 $32.5 million a year, the 25th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.8 million (49%), 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 Cartersville
- White, GA6 mi
- Taylorsville, GA10 mi
- Kingston, GA11 mi
- Acworth, GA11 mi
- Rydal, GA12 mi
- Adairsville, GA15 mi
- Kennesaw, GA16 mi
- Waleska, GA17 mi
- Aragon, GA17 mi
- Woodstock, GA17 mi
- Dallas, GA18 mi
- Fairmount, GA19 mi
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