NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Waleska, 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
12 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Waleska, Georgia since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Helene in 2024. Since 1950, 96 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 12
- Tornadoes
- 96
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
26 deaths in all
What the records show for Waleska
None of the 12 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Waleska; the strongest was Zeta in 2020, a tropical storm with 58 mph winds when its centre passed 19 miles away. The record near Waleska begins with an unnamed storm in 1859; the most recent system was Helene in 2024, a tropical storm 70 miles away. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 3 systems. Of the 12 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Of the 405 Georgia cities on this site, 82% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Waleska. The highest rating among the 96 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 27, 1994, came within 1 mile. The deadliest, an F3 on March 27, 1994, killed 9 people. Of the 96, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 25, 2025. Waleska has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 405 Georgia cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 83 times since 1989, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Waleska has more hail reports within 10 miles than 70% of the 405 Georgia cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Waleska
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | HeleneSep 27 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2020 | ZetaOct 29 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 23 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormOct 17 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormSep 5 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1912 | Unnamed 1912 stormJun 14 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1907 | Unnamed 1907 stormSep 23 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1903 | Unnamed 1903 stormSep 15 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormOct 11 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormOct 3 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 16 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Waleska: 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 Waleska
By decade
- 2020s19
- 2010s13(3 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(4 EF3+)
- 1980s10
- 1970s17(2 EF3+)
- 1960s5(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1974 | F4 | 14 mi | 17.7 mi | 6 / 30 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F4 | 1 mi | 49 mi | 3 / 20 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 14 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 46 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 6 mi | 40 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 44 mi | 3 / 45 |
| Mar 15, 2008 | EF3 | 21 mi | 16.93 mi | 2 / 2 |
| Jan 30, 2013 | EF3 | 18 mi | 21.78 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Dec 22, 2011 | EF3 | 19 mi | 11.42 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 27, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 23.05 mi | 0 / 25 |
| Apr 2, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1962 | F3 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 65.9 mi | 1 / 20 |
The strongest 12 of 96, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Waleska
The Storm Prediction Center has 83 hail reports within 10 miles of Waleska since 1989, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently February 21, 2005. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Waleska
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Jasper 1 NNW, GA, 12 miles northeast of Waleska at 1,465 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 31°F. March is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and October the driest at 4.0 inches; the year adds up to 58.7 inches over 85 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 47% of the year's precipitation (27.6 of 58.7 inches); the other six months are wetter. September has brought the most of the 12 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (6); a normal September there has highs of 79°F and 4.2 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 61 nights a year. Snowfall averages 2.5 inches a year, most of it in December. That 58.7 inches is more than at 98 of the 108 Georgia stations used on this site (91%). Rydal, 9 miles west, has its own station (Allatoona Dam 2, GA): 51.6 inches a year, 7.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 48 | 31 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.7 |
| Feb | 52 | 34 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Mar | 60 | 40 | 5.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 68 | 47 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 56 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 67 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 66 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 50 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 40 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 51 | 35 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.8 |
| Year | 67 | 49 | 58.7 | 85 | 2.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Jasper 1 NNW, GA (1,465 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 Waleska
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 188 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Waleska: 165 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 8 lightning strikes and 7 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $57.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 20, 2023. February 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 Waleska.
February 28, 2011: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Waleska — 1 injured, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported that dozens of trees were down across the county from strong straight-line thunderstorm winds, including areas around Waleska, Ball Ground, Canton, and Woodstock.”
August 2, 2008: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Waleska — 1 injured, $150,000 damage.
September 3, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Waleska — 1 injured, $2,000 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
Cherokee County, which includes Waleska, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1977, 11 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 hurricanes, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Zeta, on January 12, 2021. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cherokee County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and strong wind; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $78.3 million a year, the 7th highest of 159 Georgia counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.4 million (59%), 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 Waleska
- Rydal, GA9 mi
- Fairmount, GA10 mi
- Canton, GA10 mi
- White, GA11 mi
- Ball Ground, GA12 mi
- Jasper, GA12 mi
- Talking Rock, GA15 mi
- Ranger, GA15 mi
- Woodstock, GA16 mi
- Cartersville, GA17 mi
- Acworth, GA19 mi
- Adairsville, GA20 mi
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