NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Donalsonville, 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
64 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Donalsonville, Georgia since 1851, 13 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Mindy in 2021. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 13
- Tropical storms
- 51
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Donalsonville
The strongest storm to pass near Donalsonville was Michael in 2018, a Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1856, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Donalsonville begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Mindy in 2021, a tropical storm 65 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 8 systems, 3 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 64 systems, 9 have come since 2000. Donalsonville has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 88% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 22, 2005, came within 2 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on January 9, 2024, killed 1 person. Of the 96, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 49 have come since 2000. March and April have had the most tornadoes, 17 each. The most recent tornado was on April 7, 2025. Donalsonville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 15 times since 1981, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Donalsonville.
Compare Donalsonville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Donalsonville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | MindySep 9 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 10 | 3 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2008 | FayAug 23 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 7 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1994 | BerylAug 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 33 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 74 mi | Category 2 (108 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1972 | AgnesJun 20 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1970 | BeckyJul 22 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 11 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | Unnamed 1957 stormJun 9 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 16 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 33 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1937 | Unnamed 1937 stormAug 31 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 14 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 10 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 28 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 14 | 60 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 17 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 2 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 3 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 7 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 25 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 27 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 51 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 59 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormSep 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 53 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 10 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 32 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1875 | Unnamed 1875 stormSep 27 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 26 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 4 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | overhead | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 9 | 68 mi | Category 1 (93 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 6 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Donalsonville: 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 Donalsonville
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s17
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s7
- 1970s17
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 2005 | F3 | 2 mi | 18 mi | 1 / 18 |
| Dec 28, 1968 | F3 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 34.76 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jan 12, 1975 | F2 | 16 mi | 168.5 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 25 mi | 21.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 9, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 16.33 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 14, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 18.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 15, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.81 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 15 mi | 10.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 2005 | F2 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Donalsonville
The Storm Prediction Center has 15 hail reports within 10 miles of Donalsonville since 1981, made on 13 separate days. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 15, 2015. The most recent report is from March 31, 2016. March has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Donalsonville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marianna Municipal Airport, FL, 23 miles southwest of Donalsonville at 113 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 63°F and 41°F. June and July are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 51.2 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 51% of the year's precipitation (26.0 of 51.2 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 64 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 4.1 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 100 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 23 nights a year. That 51.2 inches is more than at 57 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (53%). Brinson, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Newton 11 SW, GA): 49.7 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 41 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Feb | 67 | 44 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 74 | 49 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 80 | 55 | 3.7 | 4 |
| May | 88 | 64 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Jun | 91 | 71 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 5.1 | 9 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Sep | 89 | 69 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Oct | 81 | 58 | 3.1 | 3 |
| Nov | 72 | 47 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Dec | 65 | 43 | 4.8 | 6 |
| Year | 79 | 57 | 51.2 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marianna Municipal Airport, FL (113 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 Donalsonville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 96 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Donalsonville: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $2.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 30, 2014. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 109 have had fewer than Donalsonville.
July 12, 2008: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Donalsonville — 5 injured, $50,000 damage.
NWS: “A severe thunderstorm uprooted several pecan trees just east of Jakin. A nearby storage building and barn were damaged.”
April 5, 2011: lightning strike in Donalsonville — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Lightning sparked a large fire in down-town Donalsonville. The fire consumed the businesses on the east side of Cherry Street and burned about one half of a city block.”
September 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Donalsonville — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds severely damaged the United Primitive Baptist Church and cemetery eight miles southwest of Colquitt.”
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 Donalsonville's ZIP code 39845 have filed 66 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2002, with 18. 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, 98 have fewer than Donalsonville.
Seminole County, which includes Donalsonville, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Seminole County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Relatively Low for tornadoes and lightning; Very Low for hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.9 million a year, the 80th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (40%), is from hurricanes.
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 Donalsonville
- Brinson, GA12 mi
- Colquitt, GA14 mi
- Malone, FL19 mi
- Greenwood, FL19 mi
- Blakely, GA20 mi
- Sneads, FL22 mi
- Bainbridge, GA24 mi
- Ashford, AL24 mi
- Chattahoochee, FL24 mi
- Columbia, AL25 mi
- Grand Ridge, FL25 mi
- Cottonwood, AL26 mi
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