NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Powder Springs, 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
14 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Powder Springs, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 14
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Powder Springs
None of the 14 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Powder Springs; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 59 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Powder Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 14 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 76% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Powder Springs. The highest rating among the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1994, came within 25 miles. Of the 116, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Powder Springs has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 88% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 225 times since 1973, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Powder Springs has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Powder Springs's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Powder Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 71 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 Powder Springs: 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 Powder Springs
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s20(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(4 EF3+)
- 1980s18
- 1970s17(3 EF3+)
- 1960s6
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 25 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 3 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 12 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 16.93 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 7 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 4 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F3 | 4 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.25 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 13 mi | 65.9 mi | 1 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Powder Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 225 hail reports within 10 miles of Powder Springs since 1973, made on 146 separate days. Of these, 120 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 19, 1998. The most recent report is from June 26, 2025. April has the most reports, 59.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Powder Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mableton 1 N, GA, 7 miles east of Powder Springs at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 53°F and 32°F. July is the wettest at 7.0 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 56.1 inches over 82 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (28.3 of 56.1 inches). September has brought the most of the 14 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (7); a normal September there has highs of 80°F and 3.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 63 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 56.1 inches is more than at 89 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (82%). Hiram, 5 miles west, has its own station (Dallas 7 NE, GA): 54.3 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 53 | 32 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 57 | 35 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.1 |
| Apr | 72 | 48 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 65 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 68 | 7.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 68 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 62 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 51 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 40 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 55 | 35 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Year | 70 | 50 | 56.1 | 82 | 1.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mableton 1 N, GA (980 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 Powder Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 343 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Powder Springs: 294 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 lightning strikes, 21 flash floods and 5 floods. They killed 3 people and injured 22, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 14, 2015. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 21. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 320 have had fewer than Powder Springs.
July 13, 2010: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Powder Springs — 2 killed.
May 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Powder Springs — 1 killed, $30,000 damage.
August 8, 2014: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Powder Springs — 7 injured.
NWS: “The Emergency Manager reported a lightning strike injured seven people near Powder Springs. Three were taken to a local hospital and the other four were treated on the scene.”
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 Powder Springs's ZIP code 30127 have filed 125 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $5.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late summer storms in 2009: 66 claims (53% of all) and $4.1 million, then Hurricane Dennis in 2005 with 29. 80% 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, 125 have fewer than Powder Springs.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late summer storms2009 | 66 | $4.1 million |
| Hurricane Dennis2005 | 29 | $1.1 million |
Cobb County, which includes Powder Springs, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1966, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cobb County a Relatively High rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for lightning; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $209.6 million a year, the 4th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $125.3 million (60%), 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.