NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cleveland, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cleveland, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 76 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 76
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Cleveland
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cleveland; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Cleveland begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 21 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cleveland. The strongest of the 76 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 6 people. The deadliest, an F3 on March 20, 1998, killed 12 people. Of the 76, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 2, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Cleveland. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Cleveland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Cleveland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cleveland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 56 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 Cleveland: 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 Cleveland
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s6(1 EF3+)
- 2000s11
- 1990s22(5 EF3+)
- 1980s13(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 17.7 mi | 6 / 30 |
| Mar 20, 1998 | F3 | 6 mi | 4 mi | 12 / 171 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 4 mi | 23 mi | 3 / 15 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 3 mi | 44 mi | 3 / 45 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 9 mi | 36.99 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 6 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 21 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F3 | 9 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Aug 29, 2005 | F2 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 76, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cleveland
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Cleveland since 1975, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 27, 1994. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cleveland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cleveland, GA, in Cleveland at 1,567 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 27°F. December is the wettest at 6.5 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 4.7 inches; the year adds up to 65.4 inches over 91 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (31.2 of 65.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 11 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 4.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 97 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 65.4 inches is more than at 105 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (97%). Sautee Nacoochee, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Helen, GA): 72.7 inches a year, 7.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 27 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 54 | 30 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 61 | 35 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 42 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 51 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 60 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 5.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 35 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 29 | 6.5 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Year | 69 | 45 | 65.4 | 91 | 1.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cleveland, GA (1,567 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 Cleveland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 169 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cleveland: 118 thunderstorm wind reports, 43 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $3.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 8, 2024. March has had the most flash floods, 19 of 43. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 363 have had fewer than Cleveland.
August 9, 2022: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Cleveland — 2 killed, 3 injured.
NWS: “Report of numerous trees down on top of Mt Yonah.”
July 20, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Cleveland — 2 injured.
June 24, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Cleveland — 1 injured, $75,000 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
White County, which includes Cleveland, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives White County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.2 million a year, the 54th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.8 million (41%), 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.