NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mineral Bluff, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Mineral Bluff, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 36 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 36
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Mineral Bluff
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mineral Bluff; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 54 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Mineral Bluff begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 34 miles away. The 1900s and the 2020s were the busiest decades, with 2 systems each. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 97% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mineral Bluff. The strongest of the 36 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 3, 1974; its path passed within a mile of the city centre, and it killed 4 people. Of the 36, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 10 each. The most recent tornado was on May 8, 2024. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 98% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mineral Bluff. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 40 times since 1986, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 64% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mineral Bluff.
Compare Mineral Bluff's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mineral Bluff
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 24 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Mineral Bluff: 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 Mineral Bluff
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s8
- 2000s2
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s2
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | in town | 24 mi | 4 / 26 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 23 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF2 | 10 mi | 21.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 1980 | F2 | 21 mi | 3.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 7 mi | 15.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 23 mi | 0.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2024 | EF1 | 21 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF1 | in town | 11.77 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 7, 1998 | F1 | 5 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 1997 | F1 | 12 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1994 | F1 | 13 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1994 | F1 | 23 mi | 1.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 36, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mineral Bluff
The Storm Prediction Center has 40 hail reports within 10 miles of Mineral Bluff since 1986, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 23 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 26, 2011. The most recent report is from July 20, 2023. March and May have the most reports, 9 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mineral Bluff
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Murphy 4ESE, NC, 20 miles northeast of Mineral Bluff at 1,600 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 50°F and 25°F. December is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 3.5 inches; the year adds up to 59.5 inches over 97 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 59.5 inches is more than at 101 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (94%). Morganton, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Blairsville Exp Stn, GA): 60.6 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 25 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 54 | 28 | 5.3 | 8 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 62 | 34 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 71 | 41 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 78 | 51 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 59 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 63 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 62 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 43 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 33 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 53 | 28 | 6.0 | 10 | 1.9 |
| Year | 70 | 44 | 59.5 | 97 | 4.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Murphy 4ESE, NC (1,600 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 Mineral Bluff
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 125 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mineral Bluff: 106 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on September 4, 2006. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 223 have had fewer than Mineral Bluff.
May 8, 2003: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Mineral Bluff — 1 killed.
NWS: “S. Highway 80, just west of Carsonville.”
April 17, 2013: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Mineral Bluff — $250,000 damage.
March 15, 2025: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Mineral Bluff — $200,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Mineral Bluff's ZIP code 30559 have filed 34 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1994, and were paid $347,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 10. 24% 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, 71 have fewer than Mineral Bluff.
Fannin County, which includes Mineral Bluff, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Fannin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.4 million a year, the 53rd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.5 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.