NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thomaston, 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
25 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thomaston, Georgia since 1851, 1 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 110 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 1
- Tropical storms
- 24
- Tornadoes
- 110
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Thomaston
The strongest storm to pass near Thomaston was an unnamed storm in 1851, a Category 1 hurricane with 74 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Thomaston begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 71 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 5 systems. Of the 25 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Thomaston has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 110 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 3, 2019; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 23 people. Of the 110, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 24. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2025. Thomaston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 57 times since 1974, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Thomaston has more hail reports within 10 miles than 50% of the 405 Georgia cities.
Compare Thomaston's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thomaston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (70 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 12 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 29 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1917 | Unnamed 1917 stormSep 29 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 4 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 23 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 10 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1881 | Unnamed 1881 stormAug 28 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | overhead | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 73 mi | Category 1 (74 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Thomaston: 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 Thomaston
By decade
- 2020s24(3 EF3+)
- 2010s33(3 EF3+)
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9
- 1980s8
- 1970s8
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF4 | 11 mi | 68.04 mi | 23 / 90 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 49.5 mi | 5 / 75 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 30.82 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 24 mi | 21.68 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Dec 25, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.1 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF3 | 21 mi | 31.16 mi | 0 / 18 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 20 mi | 5.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF3 | 2 mi | 16.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F3 | 18 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 5, 1954 | F3 | 16 mi | 51 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jan 12, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 125.76 mi | 4 / 40 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F2 | 12 mi | 8 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 110, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thomaston
The Storm Prediction Center has 57 hail reports within 10 miles of Thomaston since 1974, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 22 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 25, 1988. The most recent report is from May 24, 2020. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thomaston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Thomaston 4SE, GA, 4 miles southeast of Thomaston at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 58°F and 33°F. July is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and May and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 50.4 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (24.7 of 50.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 25 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (12); a normal September there has highs of 86°F and 3.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 62 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 50 nights a year. That 50.4 inches is more than at 45 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (42%). Zebulon, 14 miles north, has its own station (Experiment, GA): 54.2 inches a year, 3.8 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58 | 33 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Feb | 61 | 36 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Mar | 69 | 42 | 5.0 | 6 |
| Apr | 77 | 49 | 4.0 | 5 |
| May | 83 | 58 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Jun | 88 | 66 | 4.3 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 86 | 63 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 78 | 52 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Nov | 68 | 41 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Dec | 60 | 36 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Year | 76 | 51 | 50.4 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Thomaston 4SE, GA (620 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 Thomaston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 124 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thomaston: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 12 lightning strikes, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on February 15, 2016. March has had the most flash floods, 9 of 14. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Thomaston.
May 27, 1997: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Thomaston — 2 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “One whole tree and several large limbs fell on power lines. A metal shelter attached to a nursing home was ripped off the building.”
July 4, 2008: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Thomaston — 1 injured.
May 2, 2003: thunderstorm wind in Thomaston — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “The Upson county 911 center, and the Thomaston newspaper reported that numerous trees were blown down causing major damage in the city. Several of the trees landed on homes and even some vehicles causing minor to moderate structural 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 Thomaston's ZIP code 30286 have filed 20 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1981, and were paid $261,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 50% 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, 40 have fewer than Thomaston.
Upson County, which includes Thomaston, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Upson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, 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 $6.1 million a year, the 105th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (56%), 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 Thomaston
- Meansville, GA8 mi
- Molena, GA11 mi
- Zebulon, GA14 mi
- Barnesville, GA15 mi
- Woodbury, GA16 mi
- Manchester, GA16 mi
- Concord, GA16 mi
- Milner, GA18 mi
- Williamson, GA19 mi
- Roberta, GA22 mi
- Shiloh, GA22 mi
- Warm Springs, GA22 mi
All Georgia cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Thomaston with another place →