NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Decatur, 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
17 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Decatur, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 17
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Decatur
None of the 17 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Decatur; the strongest was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Decatur begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 17 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 63% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Decatur. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on February 21, 1993, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 24, 1975, killed 3 people. Of the 119, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2025. Decatur has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 165 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Decatur has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Decatur's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Decatur
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 56 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 Decatur: 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 Decatur
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s22
- 2000s17
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s16(3 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 4 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F3 | 21 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 18 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 11 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Mar 14, 2008 | EF2 | 4 mi | 6.25 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 16 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 1 / 40 |
| May 29, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 1.82 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Decatur
The Storm Prediction Center has 165 hail reports within 10 miles of Decatur since 1955, made on 115 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on June 12, 2007. The most recent report is from March 26, 2023. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Decatur
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atlanta Peachtree Airport, GA, 9 miles north of Decatur at 1,002 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 33°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (25.6 of 51.5 inches). September has brought the most of the 17 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (10); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 49 nights a year. That 51.5 inches is more than at 61 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (56%). Ellenwood, 7 miles south, has its own station (Jonesboro, GA): 53.1 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 33 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Feb | 56 | 36 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Mar | 64 | 42 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 80 | 59 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jun | 86 | 66 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 88 | 69 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 73 | 51 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 63 | 41 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 36 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Year | 72 | 51 | 51.5 | 77 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Atlanta Peachtree Airport, GA (1,002 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 Decatur
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 364 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Decatur: 281 thunderstorm wind reports, 60 flash floods, 10 lightning strikes, 7 heavy rain events and 6 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $5.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on January 4, 2015. September has had the most flash floods, 14 of 60. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 380 have had fewer than Decatur.
May 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Decatur — 2 killed, $100,000 damage.
June 8, 2022: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Decatur — 5 injured.
June 13, 1996: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Decatur — 4 injured, $5,000 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 Decatur's 5 ZIP codes have filed 607 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $4.1 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 100 claims (16% of all) and $1.2 million, then Tropical Storm Ivan in 2004 with 61 and Hurricane Helene in 2024 with 33. 36% 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, 145 have fewer than Decatur.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 100 | $1.2 million |
| Tropical Storm Ivan2004 | 61 | $606,000 |
| Hurricane Helene2024 | 33 | $482,000 |
| Early winter storms2015 | 13 | $80,000 |
DeKalb County, which includes Decatur, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 9 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 DeKalb County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $153.3 million a year, the 5th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $96.6 million (63%), 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.