NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Jefferson, 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
13 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Jefferson, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 13
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Jefferson
None of the 13 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Jefferson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 65 miles away. The record near Jefferson begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 23 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 13 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 78% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Jefferson. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on December 13, 1973, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on March 31, 1973, killed 2 people. Of the 85, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 31 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on May 2, 2025. Jefferson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 50% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Jefferson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Jefferson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 72 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 Jefferson: 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 Jefferson
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s8
- 2000s15
- 1990s15
- 1980s13
- 1970s14(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 15 mi | 18.7 mi | 1 / 65 |
| Dec 13, 1973 | F3 | 15 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 21 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 15 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Sep 16, 2004 | F2 | 21 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Nov 30, 2010 | EF2 | 20 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F2 | 19 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1976 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1976 | F2 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Jefferson
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Jefferson since 1971, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 15, 2008. The most recent report is from May 12, 2025. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Jefferson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Commerce 4 NNW, GA, 12 miles northeast of Jefferson at 820 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 31°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 48% of the year's precipitation (24.7 of 52.0 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 13 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 3.8 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 60 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 52.0 inches is more than at 68 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (63%). Pendergrass, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Gainesville Gilmer Airport, GA): 52.5 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 31 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 56 | 34 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 73 | 47 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 33 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 52.0 | 77 | 0.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Commerce 4 NNW, GA (820 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 Jefferson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 142 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Jefferson: 113 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on August 23, 2013. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 271 have had fewer than Jefferson.
August 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Jefferson — 1 injured, $200,000 damage.
August 24, 2007: lightning strike in Jefferson — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The Jackson County 911 Center reported that a home was set on fire as a result of a lightning strike. In addition, an individual was injured as a result of a lightning strike.”
August 23, 2013: thunderstorm wind in Jefferson — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “The Jackson County Emergency Manager estimated 75-80 trees were blown down, mainly in the Jefferson and Arcade area. Ten houses were damaged, most due to falling trees, but a couple had windows blown out due to the strong winds.”
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
Jackson County, which includes Jefferson, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jackson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.0 million a year, the 44th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.8 million (46%), 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 Jefferson
- Pendergrass, GA7 mi
- Nicholson, GA10 mi
- Maysville, GA10 mi
- Statham, GA11 mi
- Commerce, GA11 mi
- Winder, GA11 mi
- Hoschton, GA11 mi
- Braselton, GA12 mi
- Bogart, GA13 mi
- Gillsville, GA14 mi
- Bethlehem, GA15 mi
- Auburn, GA16 mi
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