NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hiawassee, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Hiawassee, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 40 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 40
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Hiawassee
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Hiawassee; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 53 mph winds when its centre passed 16 miles away. The record near Hiawassee begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 7 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Hiawassee. The strongest of the 40 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 4 people. Of the 40, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 12 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on September 25, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hiawassee. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 23 times since 1990, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hiawassee.
Compare Hiawassee's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Hiawassee
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Hiawassee: 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 Hiawassee
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s7(1 EF3+)
- 2000s2
- 1990s10(4 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 20 mi | 24 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 16 mi | 23 mi | 3 / 15 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 18 mi | 44 mi | 3 / 45 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 9 mi | 36.99 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 17 mi | 10 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 28 mi | 0 / 37 |
| Nov 15, 1989 | F3 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 16 mi | 21.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 29, 2005 | F2 | 13 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 17 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 17, 2018 | EF1 | 10 mi | 5.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 40, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hiawassee
The Storm Prediction Center has 23 hail reports within 10 miles of Hiawassee since 1990, made on 16 separate days. Of these, 16 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 7, 1998. The most recent report is from June 26, 2015. May has the most reports, 12.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hiawassee
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Blairsville Exp Stn, GA, 13 miles west of Hiawassee at 1,949 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 49°F and 25°F. January is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.2 inches; the year adds up to 60.6 inches over 93 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 8 days a year, almost all from July to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in December. That 60.6 inches is more than at 103 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (95%). Hayesville, NC, 9 miles north, has its own station (Murphy 4ESE, NC): 59.5 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 49 | 25 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 60 | 34 | 5.6 | 9 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 69 | 41 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 50 | 4.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 59 | 5.6 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 55 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 53 | 29 | 5.5 | 8 | 1.2 |
| Year | 69 | 43 | 60.6 | 93 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Blairsville Exp Stn, GA (1,949 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 Hiawassee
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 52 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hiawassee: 46 thunderstorm wind reports and 6 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $223,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on July 2, 2023. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 109 have had fewer than Hiawassee.
May 27, 2024: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hiawassee — 1 killed.
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 Hiawassee's ZIP code 30546 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1998, and were paid $232,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 53% 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, 62 have fewer than Hiawassee.
Towns County, which includes Hiawassee, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Zeta, on January 12, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Towns County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 94th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.6 million (59%), 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.