NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Social Circle, 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
20 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Social Circle, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 20
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Social Circle
None of the 20 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Social Circle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1949, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Social Circle begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 32 miles away. The 1890s and the 1900s were the busiest decades, with 4 systems each. Of the 20 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 53% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Social Circle. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 28, 1973, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on January 12, 2023, killed 4 people. Of the 65, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 3, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 71% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Social Circle. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 68 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Social Circle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Social Circle's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Social Circle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 42 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 Social Circle: 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 Social Circle
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s9
- 2000s9
- 1990s9
- 1980s9
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 28, 1973 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.7 mi | 1 / 65 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 14 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 125.76 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Mar 31, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 72.4 mi | 2 / 100 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 17 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2024 | EF2 | 14 mi | 9.47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2013 | EF2 | 9 mi | 7.64 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF2 | 18 mi | 17.51 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 27, 1994 | F2 | 9 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1989 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1989 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1976 | F2 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Social Circle
The Storm Prediction Center has 68 hail reports within 10 miles of Social Circle since 1969, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 37 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 June 15, 2020. April has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Social Circle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Covington, GA, 9 miles southwest of Social Circle at 769 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 52°F and 34°F. February and March are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and May the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.5 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 (24.5 of 50.5 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 20 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (9); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.8 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 62 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.5 inches is more than at 48 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (44%). Newborn, 11 miles south, has its own station (Monticello, GA): 46.7 inches a year, 3.8 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52 | 34 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 57 | 37 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Mar | 65 | 43 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 50 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 71 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 71 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 64 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 53 | 3.2 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 41 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 36 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Year | 72 | 52 | 50.5 | 72 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Covington, GA (769 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 Social Circle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Social Circle: 160 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 flash floods, 5 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $3.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on April 3, 2017. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 242 have had fewer than Social Circle.
May 2, 2003: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Social Circle — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
June 19, 2014: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Social Circle — 1 injured, $40,000 damage.
December 30, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Social Circle — $781,000 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
Walton County, which includes Social Circle, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 5 of them major disasters (by incident: 3 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes, 2 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Walton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $21.5 million a year, the 38th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.7 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.