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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lincolnton, 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

31 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Lincolnton, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 58 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
31

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
58

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
6

12 deaths in all

What the records show for Lincolnton

None of the 31 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lincolnton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1854, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. The record near Lincolnton begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 41 miles away. The 1850s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 31 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Lincolnton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 57% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 58 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 31, 1973; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 58, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. March and May have had the most tornadoes, 13 each. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lincolnton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1967, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lincolnton.

Compare Lincolnton's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lincolnton

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Lincolnton, Georgia, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2024HeleneSep 2741 miTropical storm (60 mph)Category 4
2021ElsaJul 870 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
2019NestorOct 2063 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2018MichaelOct 1115 miTropical storm (54 mph)Category 5
2018FlorenceSep 1655 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1965Unnamed 1965 stormJun 1516 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1964CleoAug 3032 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4
1949Unnamed 1949 stormAug 284 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 4
1946Unnamed 1946 stormOct 952 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1935Unnamed 1935 stormSep 567 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 5
1929Unnamed 1929 stormOct 170 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 4
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 1568 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 3
1915Unnamed 1915 stormAug 339 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 1
1912Unnamed 1912 stormJun 1421 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1907Unnamed 1907 stormSep 2372 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1906Unnamed 1906 stormSep 1859 miTropical storm (43 mph)Category 1
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 1566 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1901Unnamed 1901 stormSep 2849 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1901Unnamed 1901 stormSep 1870 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1896Unnamed 1896 stormJul 869 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1893Unnamed 1893 stormOct 33 miTropical storm (48 mph)Category 4
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24overheadTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1886Unnamed 1886 stormJun 2211 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1885Unnamed 1885 stormOct 1273 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1882Unnamed 1882 stormSep 1127 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1877Unnamed 1877 stormOct 461 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 1633 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 1
1856Unnamed 1856 stormAug 3170 miTropical storm (59 mph)Category 3
1854Unnamed 1854 stormSep 967 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1852Unnamed 1852 stormAug 2735 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1851Unnamed 1851 stormAug 2454 miTropical storm (61 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Lincolnton: 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 Lincolnton

By decade

  • 2020s2
  • 2010s6
  • 2000s28(2 EF3+)
  • 1990s13(3 EF3+)
  • 1970s5(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s1
  • 1950s3
Strongest tornadoes near Lincolnton, Georgia
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Mar 31, 1973F423 mi22.6 mi7 / 30
May 7, 1998F322 mi12 mi1 / 9
Nov 22, 1992F34 mi67 mi1 / 9
Apr 10, 2009EF323 mi17.68 mi0 / 12
Feb 18, 2009EF310 mi19.74 mi0 / 0
May 7, 1998F325 mi5 mi0 / 0
Mar 3, 2019EF225 mi5.05 mi0 / 7
Mar 3, 2019EF220 mi1.52 mi0 / 0
Mar 28, 2010EF225 mi2.39 mi0 / 0
Mar 15, 2008EF219 mi32.67 mi0 / 0
Mar 15, 2008EF221 mi8.04 mi0 / 0
Mar 1, 2007EF218 mi11.74 mi0 / 3

The strongest 12 of 58, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Lincolnton

The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Lincolnton since 1967, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 11 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on April 24, 1967. The most recent report is from January 12, 2023. May has the most reports, 15.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Lincolnton

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington 2 ESE, GA, 16 miles west of Lincolnton at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 34°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (21.7 of 44.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 31 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 51 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 1 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (1%). Appling, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Clarks Hill 1 W, SC): 46.8 inches a year, 2.4 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 90°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Washington 2 ESE, GA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan54344.170.4
Feb58364.060.0
Mar66424.370.0
Apr74493.260.0
May81583.050.0
Jun87663.960.0
Jul90703.770.0
Aug89694.470.0
Sep84633.650.0
Oct75522.940.0
Nov64413.250.0
Dec57364.160.1
Year735144.4710.5

Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington 2 ESE, GA (620 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.

Georgia weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Lincolnton

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lincolnton: 111 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $600,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 105 mph, on June 17, 2016. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 129 have had fewer than Lincolnton.

  • April 3, 2017: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Lincolnton — 2 injured.

  • June 9, 2015: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Lincolnton — 1 injured, $28,000 damage.

    NWS: “Lincoln DOT reported several trees down along Thomson Highway. One tree fell on a vehicle injuring the occupant.”

  • June 17, 2016: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lincolnton — 1 injured.

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

Lincoln County, which includes Lincolnton, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought, 1 ice storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lincoln County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $2.8 million a year, the 142nd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.4 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 Lincolnton