NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Springfield, 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
89 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Springfield, Georgia since 1851, 16 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Debby in 2024. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 16
- Tropical storms
- 73
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Springfield
The strongest storm to pass near Springfield was Gracie in 1959, a Category 4 hurricane with 131 mph winds when its centre passed 43 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1894, whose centre came within 7 miles. The record near Springfield begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Debby in 2024, a tropical storm 30 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1880s, with 9 systems, 2 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 89 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Springfield has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 92% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles is EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 5, 2022, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on April 13, 2020, killed 5 people. Of the 47, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 22 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on July 10, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Springfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 91 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Springfield has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Springfield's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Springfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | DebbyAug 6 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 30 | overhead | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2022 | ColinJul 1 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2021 | DannyJun 28 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2016 | MatthewOct 8 | 52 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | JuliaSep 14 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2016 | ColinJun 7 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2013 | AndreaJun 7 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2012 | BerylMay 30 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2007 | BarryJun 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2002 | KyleOct 11 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1996 | JosephineOct 8 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 6 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1988 | ChrisAug 28 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1985 | BobJul 25 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1979 | DavidSep 4 | 12 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormSep 15 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1976 | Unnamed 1976 stormMay 24 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1970 | AlmaMay 25 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1968 | AbbyJun 7 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 10 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 13 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | CleoAug 29 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1960 | BrendaJul 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1959 | GracieSep 29 | 43 mi | Category 4 (131 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | Unnamed 1957 stormJun 9 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 26 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1954 | Unnamed 1954 stormJul 10 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1952 | AbleAug 31 | 39 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 15 | 42 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormSep 24 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormSep 17 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1944 | Unnamed 1944 stormOct 20 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 13 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 6 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 15 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 18 | 45 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1927 | Unnamed 1927 stormOct 3 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 30 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 16 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormOct 4 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormMay 16 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 28 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormOct 19 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 29 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormOct 21 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 31 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 29 | 12 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 7 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormSep 27 | 37 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 28 | 8 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormJun 16 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormSep 9 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 31 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 25 | 60 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1884 | Unnamed 1884 stormSep 11 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormOct 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 42 mi | Category 1 (91 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1880 | Unnamed 1880 stormSep 8 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 11 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormSep 12 | 53 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1874 | Unnamed 1874 stormSep 28 | 52 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 19 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormOct 6 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 19 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 5 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 14 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 7 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Springfield: 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 Springfield
By decade
- 2020s8(2 EF3+)
- 2010s5
- 2000s9
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s9
- 1960s2
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF4 | 22 mi | 23.73 mi | 5 / 60 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF4 | 15 mi | 14.39 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 9, 1998 | F3 | 11 mi | 8 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Feb 9, 2017 | EF2 | 8 mi | 9.81 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | in town | 7 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 3, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 3, 1975 | F2 | 7 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 27, 1972 | F2 | 2 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1974 | F1 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 14, 2023 | EF1 | 4 mi | 7.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 7, 2021 | EF1 | 2 mi | 1.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 47, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Springfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 91 hail reports within 10 miles of Springfield since 1980, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 27, 2011. The most recent report is from June 10, 2025. March has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Springfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Savannah International Airport, GA, 19 miles south of Springfield at 46 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 74°F; January is the coolest, at 61°F and 40°F. June is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and November the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 48.3 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 59% of the year's precipitation (28.5 of 48.3 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 89 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (28); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 4.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 81 days a year, almost all from April to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 22 nights a year. That 48.3 inches is more than at 26 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (24%). Clyo, 8 miles north, has its own station (Brooklet 1 W, GA): 47.1 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 61 | 40 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Feb | 65 | 43 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Mar | 71 | 49 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Apr | 78 | 55 | 3.4 | 4 |
| May | 85 | 63 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jun | 90 | 71 | 6.7 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 74 | 5.8 | 9 |
| Aug | 91 | 73 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Sep | 86 | 69 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Oct | 79 | 59 | 3.7 | 4 |
| Nov | 70 | 48 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Dec | 64 | 43 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Year | 78 | 57 | 48.3 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Savannah International Airport, GA (46 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 Springfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 267 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Springfield: 253 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 lightning strikes, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $713,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 14, 2023.
August 15, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Springfield — 1 injured, $8,500 damage.
August 17, 2019: lightning strike 5 miles from the centre of Springfield — 1 injured.
May 6, 2024: lightning strike 7 miles from the centre of Springfield — 1 injured.
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
Effingham County, which includes Springfield, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 7 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 hurricanes, 3 tropical storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Effingham County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hurricanes; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for coastal flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $25.1 million a year, the 34th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.5 million (42%), is from hurricanes.
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.