NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ranger, 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
9 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ranger, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 78 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 9
- Tornadoes
- 78
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
37 deaths in all
What the records show for Ranger
None of the 9 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ranger; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 56 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. The record near Ranger begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 69 miles away. Of the 9 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 91% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Ranger. The highest rating among the 78 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1994, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 27, 1994, killed 9 people. Of the 78, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ranger. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 51% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ranger.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ranger
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 43 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 Ranger: 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 Ranger
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s15(3 EF3+)
- 2000s6
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s4
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s3
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 13 mi | 29.5 mi | 9 / 67 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 24 mi | 17.7 mi | 6 / 30 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 16 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 9 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 21.78 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Dec 22, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 11.42 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 8 mi | 23.05 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Apr 12, 2020 | EF2 | 21 mi | 8.88 mi | 8 / 24 |
| Nov 11, 2002 | F2 | 14 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Nov 11, 2002 | F2 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F2 | 16 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 5, 1985 | F2 | 6 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 78, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ranger
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Ranger since 1974, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 27 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 3, 2020. The most recent report is from July 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ranger
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jasper 1 NNW, GA, 15 miles east of Ranger at 1,465 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 31°F. March is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 58.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 58.7 inches is more than at 98 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (91%). Rydal, 13 miles south, has its own station (Allatoona Dam 2, GA): 51.6 inches a year, 7.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 52 | 34 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 68 | 47 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 50 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 40 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 35 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 67 | 49 | 58.7 | 85 | 2.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jasper 1 NNW, GA (1,465 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 Ranger
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ranger: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $15.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 1, 2002. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 189 have had fewer than Ranger.
March 31, 1998: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Ranger — 3 injured, $600,000 damage.
April 20, 2015: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Ranger — 2 injured.
NWS: “The Gilmer County Emergency Manager reported trees and power lines down on Ridgeway Church Road.”
May 1, 2002: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Ranger — $11.7 million 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
Gordon County, which includes Ranger, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 severe storms, 4 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on May 5, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Gordon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $27.7 million a year, the 32nd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (37%), 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 Ranger
- Fairmount, GA7 mi
- Talking Rock, GA11 mi
- Rydal, GA13 mi
- Resaca, GA13 mi
- Calhoun, GA14 mi
- Waleska, GA15 mi
- Chatsworth, GA16 mi
- Jasper, GA17 mi
- Adairsville, GA17 mi
- Ellijay, GA19 mi
- White, GA20 mi
- Plainville, GA21 mi
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