NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Thomson, 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
34 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Thomson, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 41 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 41
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Thomson
None of the 34 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Thomson; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1854, a tropical storm with 69 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The record near Thomson begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 37 miles away. The 1850s and the 1880s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 34 systems, 5 have come since 2000. Thomson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 59% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The highest rating among the 41 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 10, 2009, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F0 on May 24, 1955, killed 3 people. Of the 41, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 25 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on January 12, 2023. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Thomson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 48 times since 1971, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Thomson.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Thomson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | ElsaJul 8 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2019 | NestorOct 20 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 4 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1998 | EarlSep 3 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1956 | FlossySep 25 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 8 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormOct 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 12 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1935 | Unnamed 1935 stormSep 5 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1929 | Unnamed 1929 stormOct 1 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 15 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 18 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormAug 31 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJul 1 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1885 | Unnamed 1885 stormOct 12 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1877 | Unnamed 1877 stormOct 4 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1856 | Unnamed 1856 stormAug 31 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1854 | Unnamed 1854 stormSep 9 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Thomson: 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 Thomson
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s5
- 2000s18(4 EF3+)
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF3 | 20 mi | 10.4 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 13 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 14 mi | 17.68 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 22 mi | 6.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF3 | 10 mi | 19.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF2 | 17 mi | 1.52 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 22.07 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF2 | 1 mi | 11.74 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 22, 2003 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 19 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Jan 29, 1990 | F2 | 22 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 41, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Thomson
The Storm Prediction Center has 48 hail reports within 10 miles of Thomson since 1971, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 17 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 6 days, most recently June 11, 2018. The most recent report is from June 7, 2023. May has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Thomson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington 2 ESE, GA, 20 miles northwest of Thomson at 620 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 34°F. August is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 44.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 49% of the year's precipitation (21.7 of 44.4 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 34 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (11); a normal September there has highs of 84°F and 3.6 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 51 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.4 inches is more than at 1 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (1%). Dearing, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Augusta Daniel Field Airport, GA): 44.8 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Feb | 58 | 36 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 66 | 42 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 49 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 58 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 69 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 63 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 52 | 2.9 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 41 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 57 | 36 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Year | 73 | 51 | 44.4 | 71 | 0.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington 2 ESE, 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 Thomson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 104 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Thomson: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 22, 1997.
April 22, 1997: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Thomson — $2.8 million 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
McDuffie County, which includes Thomson, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 6 of them major disasters (by incident: 5 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McDuffie County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, 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 $6.2 million a year, the 103rd highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (39%), 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 Thomson
- Dearing, GA9 mi
- Warrenton, GA11 mi
- Harlem, GA12 mi
- Appling, GA15 mi
- Grovetown, GA18 mi
- Gibson, GA18 mi
- Lincolnton, GA19 mi
- Washington, GA21 mi
- Fort Gordon, GA21 mi
- Blythe, GA21 mi
- Wrens, GA21 mi
- Evans, GA21 mi
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