NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sylvester, 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
64 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sylvester, Georgia since 1851, 9 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 119 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 9
- Tropical storms
- 55
- Tornadoes
- 119
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
27 deaths in all
What the records show for Sylvester
The strongest storm to pass near Sylvester was Helene in 2024, a Category 1 hurricane with 90 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1851, whose centre came within 13 miles. The record near Sylvester begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024. The busiest decade was the 1870s, with 7 systems. Of the 64 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Sylvester has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 79% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 119 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on January 22, 2017, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on March 1, 2007, killed 6 people. Of the 119, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. March has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2025. Sylvester has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 91% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 30 times since 1980, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 79% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sylvester.
Compare Sylvester's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sylvester
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 35 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2023 | IdaliaAug 30 | 71 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | MindySep 9 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 7 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 27 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 11 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2016 | HermineSep 2 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2006 | AlbertoJun 13 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2005 | TammyOct 6 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 27 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2004 | FrancesSep 7 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1995 | AllisonJun 5 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1985 | KateNov 22 | 17 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1966 | AlmaJun 10 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | HildaOct 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1964 | DoraSep 12 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1957 | Unnamed 1957 stormJun 9 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1953 | FlorenceSep 27 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1950 | KingOct 19 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 57 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 15 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1947 | Unnamed 1947 stormOct 7 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 7 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormSep 6 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 10 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 29 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormSep 16 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1914 | Unnamed 1914 stormSep 17 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJul 16 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1911 | Unnamed 1911 stormAug 29 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 29 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormJun 29 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 9 | 20 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 21 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormAug 31 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormOct 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 3 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormSep 20 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1873 | Unnamed 1873 stormSep 19 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormOct 6 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 26 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 23 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1868 | Unnamed 1868 stormOct 4 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1860 | Unnamed 1860 stormAug 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 13 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormOct 10 | 40 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 13 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sylvester: 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 Sylvester
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s23(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s8
- 1970s10
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2003 | F3 | 11 mi | 25 mi | 6 / 200 |
| Jan 22, 2017 | EF3 | 10 mi | 70.4 mi | 5 / 88 |
| Nov 11, 1968 | F3 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 8 mi | 30.53 mi | 6 / 3 |
| Oct 30, 1993 | F2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 3 / 27 |
| Oct 1, 1989 | F2 | 20 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 12 |
| Feb 14, 2000 | F2 | 20 mi | 6 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jan 12, 1975 | F2 | 6 mi | 168.5 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Dec 15, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1.96 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 2020 | EF2 | 5 mi | 8.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 7 mi | 2.93 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 3 mi | 4.55 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 119, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sylvester
The Storm Prediction Center has 30 hail reports within 10 miles of Sylvester since 1980, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 18 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently March 27, 2024. The most recent report is from March 27, 2024. March has the most reports, 10.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sylvester
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Albany 3 SE, GA, 17 miles west of Sylvester at 180 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 60°F and 37°F. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 50% of the year's precipitation (26.4 of 52.4 inches). September has brought the most of the 64 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (23); a normal September there has highs of 87°F and 4.0 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 88 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 36 nights a year. That 52.4 inches is more than at 69 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (64%). Poulan, 4 miles east, has its own station (Tifton, GA): 48.5 inches a year, 3.9 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 60 | 37 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Feb | 64 | 41 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Mar | 71 | 46 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Apr | 78 | 53 | 3.9 | 5 |
| May | 85 | 62 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Jun | 89 | 69 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jul | 92 | 72 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Aug | 91 | 72 | 5.7 | 9 |
| Sep | 87 | 67 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Oct | 79 | 56 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Nov | 69 | 45 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 62 | 40 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Year | 77 | 55 | 52.4 | 74 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Albany 3 SE, GA (180 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 Sylvester
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 209 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sylvester: 167 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 floods, 18 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $2.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on December 10, 2004. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 18. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 294 have had fewer than Sylvester.
July 7, 2004: lightning strike 4 miles from the centre of Sylvester — 2 injured.
NWS: “Two persons were injured by lightning. Several fires were ignited by lightning.”
February 13, 2013: flood 4 miles from the centre of Sylvester — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Persistent moderate to heavy rain over a greater than 6 hour period led to significant flooding across portions of Worth county. There were up to 30 road closures in Sylvester with an additional 15 county roads closed and 4 roads closed in Poulan.”
September 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Sylvester — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorms winds damaged several residences across Central Worth County. Numerous power outages as trees fell onto utility lines at Liberty Hill, Anderson City, Sylvester, Spring Flats Rd, Sumner, Ty Ty, Massey Airport Rd, and Gordy.”
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 Sylvester's ZIP code 31791 have filed 32 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $698,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2009, with 14. 9% 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, 65 have fewer than Sylvester.
Worth County, which includes Sylvester, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 3 tornadoes, 3 tropical storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Worth County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes; Relatively Low for hurricanes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.6 million a year, the 85th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (26%), 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 Sylvester
- Poulan, GA4 mi
- Doerun, GA15 mi
- Ashburn, GA17 mi
- Sycamore, GA18 mi
- Albany, GA19 mi
- Baconton, GA20 mi
- Omega, GA21 mi
- Tifton, GA21 mi
- Leesburg, GA22 mi
- Norman Park, GA23 mi
- Moultrie, GA27 mi
- Cordele, GA29 mi
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