NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Smyrna, 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
15 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Smyrna, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 121 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 15
- Tornadoes
- 121
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Smyrna
None of the 15 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Smyrna; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Smyrna 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 15 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 73% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Smyrna. The strongest of the 121 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 22, 1992; its path came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on March 24, 1975, killed 3 people. Of the 121, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on March 15, 2025. Smyrna has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 223 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Smyrna has more hail reports within 10 miles than 99% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Smyrna
Of the 15 tracks on the map, 11 were moving northeast as they passed Smyrna, 2 east and 1 north. Zeta (2020), the strongest pass, was heading northeast; its centre passed 46 miles northwest of Smyrna. None made landfall within 75 miles of Smyrna; 11 of the 15 were hurricanes at their peak, none at their closest to the city. In the last 30 seasons (1996–2025), 1 came near Smyrna: 0.3 a decade, against 1.0 a decade from 1851 to 1995.
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 68 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 Smyrna: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Smyrna
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s18(3 EF3+)
- 1980s18
- 1970s20(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 9 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 24, 1975 | F3 | 5 mi | 14.8 mi | 3 / 152 |
| Jan 10, 1972 | F3 | 15 mi | 6.3 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 17 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 2 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 29, 1991 | F3 | 4 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| May 27, 1973 | F3 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2008 | EF2 | 9 mi | 6.25 mi | 1 / 30 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F2 | 12 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 20 mi | 65.9 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F2 | 13 mi | 0.5 mi | 1 / 40 |
The strongest 12 of 121, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Smyrna
The Storm Prediction Center has 223 hail reports within 10 miles of Smyrna since 1960, made on 144 separate days. Of these, 122 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 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, 58.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Smyrna
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mableton 1 N, GA, 4 miles west of Smyrna 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 15 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%). Atlanta, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Atlanta Fulton Co Airport, GA): 48.1 inches a year, 8.0 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 Smyrna
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 330 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Smyrna: 251 thunderstorm wind reports, 58 flash floods, 15 lightning strikes, 5 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 7 people and injured 23, and the NWS estimated $9.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 14, 2015. September has had the most flash floods, 10 of 58. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 378 have had fewer than Smyrna.
May 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Smyrna — 2 killed, $100,000 damage.
July 13, 2010: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Smyrna — 2 killed.
May 26, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Smyrna — 1 killed, $30,000 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 Smyrna's 2 ZIP codes have filed 129 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $1.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Idalia in 2023: 17 claims (13% of all) and $529,000. 26% 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, 128 have fewer than Smyrna.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Idalia2023 | 17 | $529,000 |
Cobb County, which includes Smyrna, 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.