NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Cohutta, 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
8 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Cohutta, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 8
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
66 deaths in all
What the records show for Cohutta
None of the 8 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Cohutta; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 27 miles away. The record near Cohutta begins with an unnamed storm in 1892; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 67 miles away. The 1900s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 8 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 94% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Cohutta. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 27, 2011, killed 20 people. Of the 86, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 40. The most recent tornado was on March 2, 2023. Cohutta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 52% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 45 times since 1955, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Cohutta.
Compare Cohutta's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Cohutta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormOct 1 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1892 | Unnamed 1892 stormSep 13 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Cohutta: 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 Cohutta
By decade
- 2020s7(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(4 EF3+)
- 2000s3
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s5(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 7 mi | 48 mi | 20 / 335 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 18 mi | 46.98 mi | 14 / 50 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 17 mi | 29.5 mi | 9 / 67 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 21.2 mi | 3 / 50 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF3 | 11 mi | 19.34 mi | 2 / 18 |
| Nov 30, 2016 | EF3 | 17 mi | 4.6 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F3 | 12 mi | 18.1 mi | 1 / 100 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 16 mi | 41 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 50 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 44 |
| Feb 6, 1986 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 15, 1965 | F3 | 17 mi | 10.4 mi | 0 / 50 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Cohutta
The Storm Prediction Center has 45 hail reports within 10 miles of Cohutta since 1955, made on 39 separate days. Of these, 15 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 24, 1992. The most recent report is from May 2, 2025. June has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Cohutta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN, 16 miles northwest of Cohutta at 671 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 32°F. March and December are the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.6 inches; the year adds up to 55.0 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 56 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 55.0 inches is more than at 85 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (79%). Tunnel Hill, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Chickamauga Pk Larc, GA): 56.5 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 32 | 5.0 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Feb | 56 | 36 | 5.0 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 5.3 | 8 | 1.1 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 51 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 62 | 40 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 35 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Year | 72 | 52 | 55.0 | 83 | 3.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chattanooga Lovell Airport, TN (671 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 Cohutta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 178 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Cohutta: 148 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 8 floods, 8 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 7, 2025. March has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 242 have had fewer than Cohutta.
July 4, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Cohutta — 1 killed.
June 26, 2018: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Cohutta — 3 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “The Catoosa County Emergency Manager reported three people were injured when an outbuilding they were constructing collapsed due to strong thunderstorm winds. One person suffered a broken leg, the extent of the injuries to the other two people was not known.”
July 5, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Cohutta — 2 injured.
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
Whitfield County, which includes Cohutta, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 8 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 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 Whitfield County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.9 million a year, the 18th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.8 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.