NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Gibson, 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
38 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Gibson, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 38
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Gibson
None of the 38 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Gibson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1854, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 63 miles away. The record near Gibson begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 31 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1850s, with 6 systems. Of the 38 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Gibson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 61% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F0 on May 24, 1955, killed 3 people. Of the 47, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on September 26, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Gibson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 19 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Gibson.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Gibson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 7 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 31 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | overhead | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Gibson: 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 Gibson
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s8
- 2000s17(4 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s2
- 1970s5
- 1960s1
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF3 | 8 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 24 mi | 26.33 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 24 mi | 17.68 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 14 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF2 | 24 mi | 16.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 22.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 13 mi | 11.74 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 29, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 17 mi | 23.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF1 | 14 mi | 18.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 4, 2023 | EF1 | 20 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF1 | 25 mi | 14.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 47, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Gibson
The Storm Prediction Center has 19 hail reports within 10 miles of Gibson since 1969, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 8 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on March 15, 2008. The most recent report is from March 28, 2010. March has the most reports, 5.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Gibson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Louisville 1 E, GA, 19 miles southeast of Gibson at 322 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 57°F and 34°F. August is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 47.7 inches over 70 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 47.7 inches). September has brought the most of the 38 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 85°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 79 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 47 nights a year. That 47.7 inches is more than at 20 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (19%). Warrenton, 12 miles north, has its own station (Washington 2 ESE, GA): 44.4 inches a year, 3.3 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 57 | 34 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 61 | 37 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Mar | 68 | 43 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Apr | 76 | 50 | 3.2 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 59 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 67 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Aug | 90 | 70 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Sep | 85 | 64 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 76 | 52 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 67 | 42 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 59 | 36 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Year | 75 | 52 | 47.7 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Louisville 1 E, GA (322 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 Gibson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 36 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Gibson: 29 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 lightning strikes, 2 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $315,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on October 3, 2004.
March 18, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Gibson — $110,000 damage.
NWS: “The Glascock County Emergency Manager reported that numerous trees and power lines were blown down from the Mitchell area to the Edgehill area. Several large pines and at least one power pole were snapped.”
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
Glascock County, which includes Gibson, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Glascock County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $1.0 million a year, the 158th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $364,000 (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 Gibson
- Warrenton, GA12 mi
- Wrens, GA12 mi
- Dearing, GA15 mi
- Davisboro, GA18 mi
- Thomson, GA18 mi
- Louisville, GA20 mi
- Harlem, GA20 mi
- Blythe, GA22 mi
- Sandersville, GA23 mi
- Keysville, GA23 mi
- Sparta, GA25 mi
- Grovetown, GA27 mi
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