NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Benning, 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
29 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fort Benning, Georgia since 1851, 4 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fred in 2021. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 4
- Tropical storms
- 25
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Benning
The strongest storm to pass near Fort Benning was Michael in 2018, a Category 1 hurricane with 83 mph winds when its centre passed 57 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Eloise in 1975, whose centre came within 54 miles. The record near Fort Benning begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fred in 2021, a tropical storm 55 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. Of the 29 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Fort Benning has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 69% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 3, 2019; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 23 people. Of the 98, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Fort Benning has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Fort Benning has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Benning
Of the 29 tracks on the map, 14 were moving northeast as they passed Fort Benning, 6 north and 4 northwest. Michael (2018), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 57 miles southeast of Fort Benning. None made landfall within 75 miles of Fort Benning; 24 of the 29 were hurricanes at their peak, 4 at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 3 came near Fort Benning: 1.0 a decade, against 1.8 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | FredAug 17 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 57 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 54 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 70 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 71 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Fort Benning: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Check hail and hurricane history for any address
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fort Benning
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s28(2 EF3+)
- 2000s15
- 1990s12
- 1980s6
- 1970s10
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF4 | 15 mi | 68.04 mi | 23 / 90 |
| Apr 18, 1953 | F3 | 7 mi | 39.8 mi | 8 / 495 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 1 mi | 7 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Apr 29, 2014 | EF3 | 17 mi | 11.45 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Mar 31, 1961 | F3 | 7 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 20 mi | 71.5 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 23 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 27, 2017 | EF2 | 18 mi | 21.71 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2009 | EF2 | 8 mi | 3.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2009 | EF2 | 20 mi | 8.29 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 17, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 17.08 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 12 mi | 11.74 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Benning
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Benning since 1964, made on 67 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on November 1, 1997. The most recent report is from March 26, 2023. March has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Benning
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus Metro Airport, GA, 10 miles north of Fort Benning at 392 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 59°F and 38°F. March is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 48.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (23.2 of 48.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 29 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 3.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 80 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 28 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 48.8 inches is more than at 32 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (30%). Midland, 14 miles north, has its own station (Columbus #2, GA): 51.8 inches a year, 3.0 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 59 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Feb | 63 | 42 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 70 | 47 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Apr | 78 | 54 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 85 | 63 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 74 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 73 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 87 | 68 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 78 | 57 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 68 | 46 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 61 | 41 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Year | 77 | 56 | 48.8 | 72 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus Metro Airport, GA (392 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 Fort Benning
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 151 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Benning: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 7 lightning strikes, 5 floods and 2 heavy rain events. They killed 4 people and injured 8, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 19, 2013. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Fort Benning.
June 27, 2004: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Fort Benning — 3 killed, 6 injured, $50,000 damage.
July 24, 2013: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fort Benning — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
March 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Fort Benning — 1 injured, $300,000 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
Chattahoochee County, which includes Fort Benning, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 4 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tropical storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chattahoochee County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.6 million a year, the 146th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $941,000 (36%), 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 Fort Benning
- Fort Mitchell, AL8 mi
- Columbus, GA8 mi
- Phenix City, AL11 mi
- Seale, AL13 mi
- Midland, GA14 mi
- Smiths Station, AL16 mi
- Ellerslie, GA19 mi
- Cataula, GA19 mi
- Fortson, GA19 mi
- Box Springs, GA21 mi
- Salem, AL22 mi
- Buena Vista, GA23 mi
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