NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chickamauga, 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 Chickamauga, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
70 deaths in all
What the records show for Chickamauga
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chickamauga; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Chickamauga begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Chickamauga. The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on April 27, 2011; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 25 people. Of the 97, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 63 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Chickamauga has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 70% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1979, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Chickamauga has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chickamauga
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Chickamauga: 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 Chickamauga
By decade
- 2020s9(2 EF3+)
- 2010s45(7 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s4
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF5 | 15 mi | 33.66 mi | 25 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 9 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 6 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 21 mi | 20.24 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 6, 2008 | EF4 | 21 mi | 10.9 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 14 mi | 13.48 mi | 4 / 9 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 9 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF3 | 24 mi | 12.34 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 24, 2010 | EF3 | 18 mi | 14.35 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chickamauga
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Chickamauga since 1979, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 27, 2011. The most recent report is from June 27, 2025. April has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chickamauga
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chickamauga 2 SW, GA, 2 miles northeast of Chickamauga at 799 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 33°F. December is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 57.0 inches over 87 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 76 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.1 inches a year, most of it in March. That 57.0 inches is more than at 93 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (86%). Flintstone, 7 miles north, has its own station (Chickamauga Pk Larc, GA): 56.5 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 33 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Feb | 55 | 36 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.6 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 58 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 51 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 41 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 36 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Year | 71 | 51 | 57.0 | 87 | 2.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chickamauga 2 SW, GA (799 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 Chickamauga
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chickamauga: 160 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 4 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $4.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on October 25, 2010. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 12. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 223 have had fewer than Chickamauga.
April 16, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Chickamauga — 2 injured, $75,000 damage.
July 25, 2004: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Chickamauga — 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 4, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Chickamauga — 1 injured, $40,000 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 Chickamauga's ZIP code 30707 have filed 89 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1989, and were paid $1.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 46 claims (52% of all) and $623,000. 58% 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, 112 have fewer than Chickamauga.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 46 | $623,000 |
Walker County, which includes Chickamauga, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Walker County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for 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 $29.8 million a year, the 29th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.6 million (36%), 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 Chickamauga
- Rock Spring, GA6 mi
- Flintstone, GA7 mi
- Lookout Mountain, GA9 mi
- Fort Oglethorpe, GA9 mi
- La Fayette, GA10 mi
- Rossville, GA10 mi
- Rising Fawn, GA10 mi
- Lookout Mountain, TN12 mi
- Ringgold, GA12 mi
- Trenton, GA12 mi
- Chattanooga, TN16 mi
- Rocky Face, GA16 mi
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