NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tignall, 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
22 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Tignall, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 47 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 22
- Tornadoes
- 47
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Tignall
None of the 22 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tignall; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1851, a tropical storm with 62 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. The record near Tignall begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 29 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 22 systems, 3 have come since 2000. Tignall has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 49% of the 405 Georgia cities on this site. The strongest of the 47 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 31, 1973; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 7 people. Of the 47, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 27 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 12. The most recent tornado was on June 9, 2025. Of the 405 Georgia cities, 90% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tignall. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 16 times since 1996, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 405 Georgia cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tignall.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tignall
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | MichaelOct 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2018 | FlorenceSep 16 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1965 | Unnamed 1965 stormJun 15 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1964 | CleoAug 30 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormAug 28 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1946 | Unnamed 1946 stormOct 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 15 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 3 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 18 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 28 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormJul 8 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 24 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1886 | Unnamed 1886 stormJun 22 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1882 | Unnamed 1882 stormSep 11 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 24 | 70 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 Tignall: 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 Tignall
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s1
- 2000s22(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s3
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s1
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 1973 | F4 | 13 mi | 22.6 mi | 7 / 30 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 67 mi | 1 / 9 |
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF3 | 18 mi | 19.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF2 | 18 mi | 29.35 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.71 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF2 | 7 mi | 8.04 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 25 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 6, 1956 | F2 | 22 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 31, 1954 | F2 | 23 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Jun 9, 2025 | EF1 | 6 mi | 1.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2021 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.13 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 Tignall
The Storm Prediction Center has 16 hail reports within 10 miles of Tignall since 1996, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 11 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 April 5, 2017. The most recent report is from April 5, 2017. May has the most reports, 7.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tignall
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington 2 ESE, GA, 13 miles south of Tignall 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 22 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (8); 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%). Calhoun Falls, SC, 14 miles northeast, has its own station (Calhoun Falls, SC): 46.9 inches a year, 2.5 more than here, and a July average high of 91°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 Tignall
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tignall: 44 thunderstorm wind reports and 6 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $5.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 6, 2017. July has had the most flash floods, 2 of 6. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 109 have had fewer than Tignall.
September 16, 2004: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Tignall — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports were received from the DeKalb County Emergency Manager, the media, and the public of extensive flooding across much of the Atlanta metropolitan area, especially the northern parts of the county.”
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
Wilkes County, which includes Tignall, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 9 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 hurricanes, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms, 2 severe storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Hurricane Helene, on September 30, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Wilkes County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $3.8 million a year, the 131st highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.3 million (34%), 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 Tignall
- Washington, GA13 mi
- Calhoun Falls, SC14 mi
- Lincolnton, GA17 mi
- Elberton, GA17 mi
- Mc Cormick, SC21 mi
- Lexington, GA23 mi
- Abbeville, SC24 mi
- Dewy Rose, GA26 mi
- Iva, SC27 mi
- Crawford, GA28 mi
- Comer, GA28 mi
- Bowman, GA29 mi
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