NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kingston, 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
11 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Kingston, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 11
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
50 deaths in all
What the records show for Kingston
None of the 11 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kingston; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. The record near Kingston begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 11 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 87% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kingston. The highest rating among the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 27, 2011, came within 3 miles. Of the 80, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kingston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Kingston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 63% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kingston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 72 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 Kingston: 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 Kingston
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s11(5 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14(4 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF4 | 3 mi | 97.33 mi | 22 / 85 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 29.5 mi | 9 / 67 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 5 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 5 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 9 mi | 16.93 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF3 | 7 mi | 21.78 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Apr 4, 1977 | F3 | 6 mi | 8.8 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 23 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 22, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 11.42 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 23.05 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 8 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 30 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kingston
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Kingston since 1973, made on 56 separate days. Of these, 44 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 1, 1990. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kingston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rome, GA, 10 miles west of Kingston at 685 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 30°F. March is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 55.2 inches over 83 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (25.7 of 55.2 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 49 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 66 nights a year. That 55.2 inches is more than at 86 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (80%). Taylorsville, 9 miles south, has its own station (Cartersville Airport, GA): 48.2 inches a year, 7.0 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 30 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Feb | 56 | 33 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Mar | 65 | 39 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Apr | 74 | 46 | 4.9 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 55 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Jun | 87 | 64 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jul | 90 | 68 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Sep | 84 | 61 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 48 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 63 | 38 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 54 | 33 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Year | 72 | 49 | 55.2 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rome, GA (685 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 Kingston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 183 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kingston: 149 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 11 lightning strikes and 4 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 1, 2002. February has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 302 have had fewer than Kingston.
May 1, 2002: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Kingston — 1 injured, $1.0 million damage.
March 29, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Kingston — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
June 11, 2008: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Kingston — $250,000 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
Bartow County, which includes Kingston, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 3 tornadoes, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bartow County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $32.5 million a year, the 25th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $15.8 million (49%), 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 Kingston
- Taylorsville, GA9 mi
- Adairsville, GA10 mi
- Cartersville, GA11 mi
- Silver Creek, GA11 mi
- Plainville, GA12 mi
- Lindale, GA12 mi
- Rome, GA13 mi
- Aragon, GA13 mi
- White, GA14 mi
- Rydal, GA16 mi
- Armuchee, GA18 mi
- Rockmart, GA18 mi
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