NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fayetteville, 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
18 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fayetteville, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 141 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 18
- Tornadoes
- 141
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Fayetteville
None of the 18 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fayetteville; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Fayetteville begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 72 miles away. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 18 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 58% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Fayetteville. The strongest of the 141 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 25, 2021; its path came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on January 12, 2023, killed 4 people. Of the 141, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 29, 2025. Fayetteville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than any other of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 144 times since 1968, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Fayetteville has more hail reports within 10 miles than 91% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Fayetteville's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fayetteville
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 38 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 Fayetteville: 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 Fayetteville
By decade
- 2020s36(2 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(4 EF3+)
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 2021 | EF4 | 5 mi | 38.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 23 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 21.68 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 17 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF3 | 16 mi | 31.16 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F3 | 20 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F3 | 12 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 23 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 4 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 125.76 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
The strongest 12 of 141, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fayetteville
The Storm Prediction Center has 144 hail reports within 10 miles of Fayetteville since 1968, made on 97 separate days. Of these, 79 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 25, 1988. The most recent report is from May 21, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fayetteville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Atlanta, GA, 8 miles southwest of Fayetteville at 858 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 56°F and 34°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 3.1 inches; the year adds up to 49.4 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (24.1 of 49.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 18 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 3.5 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. That 49.4 inches is more than at 37 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (34%). Jonesboro, 8 miles northeast, has its own station (Jonesboro, GA): 53.1 inches a year, 3.7 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56 | 34 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Feb | 60 | 37 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Apr | 75 | 49 | 3.8 | 6 |
| May | 83 | 58 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Sep | 85 | 63 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 51 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 66 | 41 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Dec | 58 | 36 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Year | 75 | 52 | 49.4 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Atlanta, GA (858 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 Fayetteville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 284 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fayetteville: 234 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 lightning strikes, 14 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 2 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 20, and the NWS estimated $14.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 24, 2015. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Fayetteville.
July 13, 2012: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed, 1 injured.
March 1, 2021: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed, $15,000 damage.
January 9, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fayetteville — 1 killed, $1,000 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 Fayetteville's 2 ZIP codes have filed 66 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $530,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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 Fayetteville.
Fayette County, which includes Fayetteville, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fayette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.0 million a year, the 26th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (61%), 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.