NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Columbus, 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
28 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Columbus, Georgia since 1851, 2 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 2
- Tropical storms
- 26
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
33 deaths in all
What the records show for Columbus
The strongest storm to pass near Columbus was Michael in 2018, a Category 1 hurricane with 82 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Eloise in 1975, whose centre came within 50 miles. The record near Columbus begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 61 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 6 systems. Of the 28 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Columbus has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 60% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 3, 2019; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 23 people. Of the 98, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Columbus has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 112 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Columbus has more hail reports within 10 miles than 82% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Columbus
Of the 28 tracks on the map, 13 were moving northeast as they passed Columbus, 6 north and 4 northwest. Michael (2018), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 64 miles southeast of Columbus. None made landfall within 75 miles of Columbus; 22 of the 28 were hurricanes at their peak, 2 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 3 came near Columbus: 1.0 a decade, against 1.7 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 64 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 50 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Columbus: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Columbus
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s29(2 EF3+)
- 2000s18
- 1990s11
- 1980s6
- 1970s9
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF4 | 7 mi | 68.04 mi | 23 / 90 |
| Apr 18, 1953 | F3 | in town | 39.8 mi | 8 / 495 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 8 mi | 7 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Apr 29, 2014 | EF3 | 10 mi | 11.45 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 31, 1961 | F3 | 4 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F3 | 20 mi | 51 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2017 | EF2 | 16 mi | 21.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 16, 2011 | EF2 | 17 mi | 61.51 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 24.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2009 | EF2 | 2 mi | 3.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2009 | EF2 | 13 mi | 8.29 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Columbus
The Storm Prediction Center has 112 hail reports within 10 miles of Columbus since 1955, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 1, 1997. The most recent report is from March 26, 2023. March and April have the most reports, 22 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Columbus
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus Metro Airport, GA, 2 miles north of Columbus at 392 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 38°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 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 (23.2 of 48.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 28 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 28 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 48.8 inches is more than at 32 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (30%). Midland, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Columbus #2, GA): 51.8 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 63 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 70 | 47 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 78 | 54 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 85 | 63 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 68 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 57 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 61 | 41 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 48.8 | 72 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus Metro Airport, GA (392 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 Columbus
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 210 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Columbus: 172 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 6 lightning strikes, 3 heavy rain events and 1 flood. They killed 4 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 19, 2013. October has had the most flash floods, 6 of 28. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 342 have had fewer than Columbus.
June 27, 2004: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Columbus — 3 killed, 6 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “Several Atlanta news media television stations, along with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that three individuals were killed and six were injured at Buford Dam State Park at the south end of Lake Lanier when lightning strikes hit one or more trees under which the individuals were seeking refuge during a…”
July 24, 2013: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Columbus — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Broadcast media and newspaper articles reported numerous trees and power lines down on the northeast side of Columbus, near the Lake Bottom area. A 57-year-old woman was killed when a tree limb fell on her in her back yard at the 1200 block of 16th Street.”
April 25, 2011: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Columbus — 2 injured, $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Meteorologists with WRBL and WTVM Television in Columbus reported that a microburst or downburst had caused considerable damage in a small area on the northeast side of Columbus, or approximately one mile northeast of Kenwood.”
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 Columbus's 6 ZIP codes have filed 229 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $2.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Early winter storms in 2015: 19 claims (8% of all) and $312,000. The year with the most claims was 1990, with 34. 11% 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, 140 have fewer than Columbus.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Early winter storms2015 | 19 | $312,000 |
Muscogee County, which includes Columbus, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1990, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Muscogee County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.1 million a year, the 17th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $25.8 million (66%), 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.