NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Duluth, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Duluth, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Duluth
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Duluth; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Duluth begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 56 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 16 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 67% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Duluth. The strongest of the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 22, 1992; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 24, 1975, killed 3 people. Of the 91, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on December 29, 2024. Duluth has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 115 times since 1963, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Duluth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 84% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Duluth
Of the 16 tracks on the map, 11 were moving northeast as they passed Duluth, 2 north and 2 east. Zeta (2020), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 52 miles northwest of Duluth. None made landfall within 75 miles of Duluth; 13 of the 16 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 2 came near Duluth: 0.7 a decade, against 1.0 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 5 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 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 71 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 Duluth: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Duluth
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s17
- 2000s15
- 1990s16(2 EF3+)
- 1980s12
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 12 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 16 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F3 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 23 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Mar 14, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 6.25 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | in town | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 10 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2010 | EF2 | 12 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Duluth
The Storm Prediction Center has 115 hail reports within 10 miles of Duluth since 1963, made on 88 separate days. Of these, 70 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 7, 1998. The most recent report is from June 27, 2025. April has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Duluth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atlanta Peachtree Airport, GA, 12 miles southwest of Duluth 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 16 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); 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%). Suwanee, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Cumming 2N, GA): 56.4 inches a year, 4.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 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 Duluth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 271 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Duluth: 183 thunderstorm wind reports, 47 lightning strikes, 38 flash floods and 3 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $17.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 1, 2018. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 38. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 358 have had fewer than Duluth.
September 21, 2009: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Duluth — 1 killed, $630,000 damage.
November 16, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Duluth — 1 killed, $20,000 damage.
May 22, 2004: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Duluth — 3 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Duluth's 2 ZIP codes have filed 94 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 29 claims (31% of all) and $449,000, then Hurricane Idalia in 2023 with 11. 47% 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, 114 have fewer than Duluth.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 29 | $449,000 |
| Hurricane Idalia2023 | 11 | $470,000 |
Gwinnett County, which includes Duluth, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 3 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 Gwinnett County a Relatively High 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 $211.5 million a year, the 3rd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $144.9 million (68%), 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.