NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fitzgerald, 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
63 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fitzgerald, Georgia since 1851, 7 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 7
- Tropical storms
- 56
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Fitzgerald
The strongest storm to pass near Fitzgerald was Helene in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane with 86 mph winds when its centre crossed the city. The record near Fitzgerald begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. Of the 63 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Fitzgerald has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 74% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on January 22, 2017, came within 19 miles. Of the 79, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on September 26, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 55% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fitzgerald. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 42 times since 1958, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fitzgerald.
Compare Fitzgerald's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fitzgerald
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | overhead | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 30 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 7 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 46 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 14 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | TammyOct 6 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 10 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | Unnamed 1957 stormJun 9 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 21 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 15 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 7 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 6 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 16 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 17 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 2 | 15 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 10 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 16 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 31 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormOct 6 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 23 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 4 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 18 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 29 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fitzgerald: 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 Fitzgerald
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s7
- 1980s9
- 1970s11
- 1960s14
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 22, 2017 | EF3 | 19 mi | 70.4 mi | 5 / 88 |
| Apr 8, 1957 | F3 | 14 mi | 14.7 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 11, 1952 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Jan 12, 1975 | F2 | 15 mi | 168.5 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Apr 24, 2021 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 17, 2019 | EF2 | 5 mi | 20.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 29, 1982 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1971 | F2 | 22 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1971 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 15, 1969 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 24, 1968 | F2 | 23 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 19, 1967 | F2 | 1 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fitzgerald
The Storm Prediction Center has 42 hail reports within 10 miles of Fitzgerald since 1958, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 29 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 24, 1988. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 11.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fitzgerald
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fitzgerald, GA, in Fitzgerald at 370 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 73°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 39°F. August is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (23.8 of 47.6 inches). September has brought the most of the 63 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (21); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 76 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 25 nights a year. That 47.6 inches is more than at 19 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (18%). Ambrose, 17 miles southeast, has its own station (Pridgen, GA): 47.5 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 39 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 41 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 71 | 47 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 78 | 53 | 3.8 | 5 |
| May | 85 | 62 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Jun | 89 | 70 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 73 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 91 | 71 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Sep | 87 | 66 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Oct | 80 | 56 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 69 | 46 | 2.8 | 4 |
| Dec | 63 | 41 | 4.9 | 4 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 47.6 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fitzgerald, GA (370 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 Fitzgerald
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 143 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fitzgerald: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods, 14 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 22, 2018. October has had the most flash floods, 5 of 14. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Fitzgerald.
April 5, 2011: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fitzgerald — 1 killed, 1 injured, $50,000 damage.
March 12, 2026: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Fitzgerald — 2 injured.
NWS: “A shed overturned on Wren Road in Ben Hill county with 2 injuries reported.”
August 6, 2015: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Fitzgerald — 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
NWS: “Lightning struck a tree limb that then fell through a roof and struck a woman in the face. Damage was estimated.”
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 Fitzgerald's ZIP code 31750 have filed 22 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $179,000 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, 46 have fewer than Fitzgerald.
Ben Hill County, which includes Fitzgerald, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ben Hill County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $5.2 million a year, the 117th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.7 million (32%), 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.
Cities near Fitzgerald
- Ocilla, GA9 mi
- Ambrose, GA17 mi
- Abbeville, GA18 mi
- Rochelle, GA19 mi
- Sycamore, GA20 mi
- Broxton, GA21 mi
- Tifton, GA23 mi
- Ashburn, GA24 mi
- Willacoochee, GA27 mi
- Douglas, GA28 mi
- Mc Rae, GA31 mi
- Lenox, GA32 mi
All Georgia cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fitzgerald with another place →