NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Madison, 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
19 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Madison, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 48 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 19
- Tornadoes
- 48
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Madison
None of the 19 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Madison; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Madison begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 19 miles away. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 19 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 54% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Madison. The strongest of the 48 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 22, 1992; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 48, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 24 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on February 16, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 89% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Madison. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 34 times since 1984, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Madison.
Compare Madison's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Madison
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 35 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 Madison: 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 Madison
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s6
- 2000s10
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 23 mi | 32 mi | 5 / 86 |
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 18.7 mi | 1 / 65 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 125.76 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 20 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Apr 19, 2013 | EF2 | 9 mi | 7.64 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 10 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1969 | F2 | 18 mi | 15.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 1967 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 1965 | F2 | 8 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F1 | 10 mi | 2.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Feb 16, 2025 | EF1 | 24 mi | 6.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 48, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Madison
The Storm Prediction Center has 34 hail reports within 10 miles of Madison since 1984, made on 28 separate days. Of these, 12 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 September 27, 2010. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Madison
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Watkinsville 5 SSE, GA, 14 miles north of Madison at 741 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 34°F. December is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.8 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (23.4 of 47.8 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 19 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); a normal September there has highs of 83°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 45 nights a year. That 47.8 inches is more than at 21 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (19%). Rutledge, 8 miles west, has its own station (Covington, GA): 50.5 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 34 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Feb | 58 | 37 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Mar | 65 | 43 | 4.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 73 | 49 | 3.6 | 6 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Sep | 83 | 63 | 4.0 | 4 |
| Oct | 74 | 52 | 3.4 | 4 |
| Nov | 64 | 42 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Dec | 56 | 37 | 4.9 | 7 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 47.8 | 72 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Watkinsville 5 SSE, GA (741 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 Madison
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Madison: 89 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 3 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 6, and the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 64 mph, on January 12, 2023. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 223 have had fewer than Madison.
August 13, 1999: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Madison — 4 injured, $325,000 damage.
June 19, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Madison — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
January 11, 2020: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Madison — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “The Morgan County Emergency Manager reported a large tree blown near the intersection of Bethany Road and Baldwin Dairy Road.”
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
Morgan County, which includes Madison, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Morgan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.2 million a year, the 92nd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 million (64%), 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.