NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waco, 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
16 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waco, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Zeta in 2020. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 16
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Waco
None of the 16 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waco; the strongest was Eloise in 1975, a tropical storm with 61 mph winds when its centre passed 5 miles away. The record near Waco begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm 33 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 4 systems. Of the 16 systems, one has come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 67% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Waco. The highest rating among the 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 8 times; the most recent, on March 19, 2018, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on August 29, 2005, killed 1 person. Of the 91, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on May 27, 2025. Waco has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 80 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Waco has more hail reports within 10 miles than 67% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waco
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | OpalOct 5 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (61 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 22 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormJun 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormSep 1 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormJul 28 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormAug 27 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waco: 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 Waco
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s11(2 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s14(2 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 22 mi | 9 mi | 1 / 35 |
| Jan 26, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 21.3 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Mar 19, 2018 | EF3 | 10 mi | 35.22 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 15 mi | 29.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 26, 2008 | EF3 | 6 mi | 7.21 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 21, 1993 | F3 | 24 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 24, 1964 | F3 | 21 mi | 75.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 28, 1964 | F3 | 5 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Aug 29, 2005 | F2 | 15 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 2, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 1.9 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 65.9 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 0.06 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waco
The Storm Prediction Center has 80 hail reports within 10 miles of Waco since 1969, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on May 7, 1998. The most recent report is from June 25, 2025. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waco
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Carrollton, GA, 10 miles southeast of Waco at 995 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 54°F and 32°F. March is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and August and October the driest at 3.7 inches; the year adds up to 53.6 inches over 80 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 45% of the year's precipitation (24.2 of 53.6 inches); the other six months are wetter. Highs reach 90°F on about 36 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 65 nights a year. Snowfall averages 0.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 53.6 inches is more than at 80 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (74%). Ranburne, AL, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Heflin, AL): 57.6 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 54 | 32 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 58 | 35 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Mar | 66 | 41 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Apr | 74 | 48 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 57 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 74 | 50 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 64 | 39 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 56 | 34 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.4 |
| Year | 73 | 50 | 53.6 | 80 | 0.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Carrollton, GA (995 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 Waco
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 151 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waco: 135 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 4 floods and 4 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $30.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on May 2, 2003. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 392 Georgia cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 150 have had fewer than Waco.
September 21, 2009: flood 3 miles from the centre of Waco — $16.1 million damage.
NWS: “Initial flash flooding evolved into a record and catastrophic flood event during this time frame.”
September 21, 2009: flood 3 miles from the centre of Waco — $5.5 million damage.
NWS: “Carroll county emergency management personnel and USGS stream gages confirmed that record to catastrophic flooding continued across much of the county, especially the eastern section. Hundreds of homes, apartments, businesses, and roads sustained damages from flooding.”
May 11, 2008: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Waco — $5.0 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
Carroll County, which includes Waco, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Zeta, on January 12, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Carroll County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $31.8 million a year, the 28th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $14.8 million (46%), 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 Waco
- Bremen, GA7 mi
- Tallapoosa, GA7 mi
- Bowdon, GA9 mi
- Carrollton, GA11 mi
- Ranburne, AL11 mi
- Buchanan, GA13 mi
- Temple, GA14 mi
- Roopville, GA16 mi
- Villa Rica, GA18 mi
- Heflin, AL19 mi
- Whitesburg, GA21 mi
- Woodland, AL22 mi
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