Milledgeville
Population 16,835 (2025)
15 tropical storms and hurricanes have passed within 50 miles of Milledgeville since 1851; the strongest at closest approach was Helene in 2024 (Tropical storm).
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195048
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger34
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198429
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Baldwin County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Baldwin County.
Strongest tornado
F4
November 22, 1992, 32.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm Helene, 2024, 15.3 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 1.6 years since 1950, 3 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
November 22, 1992
F4, 32.0 mile path
867 yards wide; 5 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Sunday, April 6, 2025
EF1, 9.2 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Apr 6, 2025 | EF1 | 9.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 2023 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 26, 2023 | EF1 | 7.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 4, 2023 | EF1 | 3.8 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF0 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 11, 2021 | EF0 | 3.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | EF0 | 1.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF0 | 3.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF0 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF1 | 6.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 13, 2020 | EF1 | 12.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF1 | 3.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2, 2018 | EF0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF1 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF0 | 3.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF0 | 4.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF2 | 3.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF0 | 2.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF1 | 5.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 28, 2011 | EF1 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 2010 | EF0 | 7.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2, 2009 | EF0 | 0.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2, 2009 | EF0 | 1.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF3 | 6.8 | 1 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF3 | 10.4 | 3 | 1 |
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF1 | 8.7 | 1 | 0 |
| Feb 18, 2009 | EF1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 20, 2008 | EF1 | 4.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 24.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 2007 | EF1 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2, 2006 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F4 | 32.0 | 86 | 5 |
| Nov 22, 1992 | F2 | 10.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 21, 1980 | F1 | 0.2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 23, 1967 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 8, 1961 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 1, 1959 | F1 | 1.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F2 | 6.6 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 75.0 | 5 | 2 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F1 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 1955 | F1 | 20.4 | 2 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
15 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
September 27, 2024
Helene, Tropical storm
15.3 miles at closest approach, winds near 69 mph.
Most recent
September 27, 2024
Helene, Tropical storm
15.3 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Helene | 2024 | 15.3 | Tropical storm |
| Elsa | 2021 | 82.6 | Tropical storm |
| Nestor | 2019 | 59.4 | Post-tropical |
| Michael | 2018 | 17.5 | Tropical storm |
| Earl | 1998 | 68.2 | Post-tropical |
| Kate | 1985 | 86.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1965 | 8.0 | Tropical storm |
| Dora | 1964 | 86.2 | Tropical storm |
| Cleo | 1964 | 69.3 | Tropical storm |
| Flossy | 1956 | 72.2 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1949 | 30.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1946 | 92.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1941 | 61.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1940 | 34.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1935 | 78.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1929 | 74.4 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1917 | 75.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 67.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1912 | 51.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 86.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 86.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 77.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 26.9 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 36.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 56.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 32.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 21.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1894 | 90.4 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 33.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1889 | 15.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1886 | 84.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1886 | 29.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1885 | 94.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1882 | 32.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1881 | 75.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1877 | 62.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1860 | 92.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1859 | 48.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1856 | 52.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 84.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 7.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1851 | 42.2 | Tropical storm |
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
29 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
January 26, 2006
10 A 11 E 11 W Rx Burn Fire, 2,975 acres
23.1 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
March 23, 2019
Unnamed Fire
571 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Unnamed | 2019 | 24.9 | 571 |
| Unnamed | 2019 | 23.8 | 909 |
| 22 B | 2010 | 24.8 | 542 |
| 18 S | 2009 | 23.1 | 540 |
| 25 B | 2009 | 24.1 | 759 |
| Unnamed | 2008 | 19.5 | 632 |
| Unnamed | 2008 | 24.7 | 774 |
| Unnamed | 2008 | 18.2 | 504 |
| Unnamed | 2008 | 19.3 | 1,387 |
| 13 E | 2008 | 24.9 | 1,081 |
| 26 | 2008 | 23.9 | 751 |
| 5S-12B-18N | 2007 | 23.7 | 1,065 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 22.4 | 1,020 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 14.2 | 2,756 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 14.0 | 765 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 24.5 | 1,515 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 15.8 | 1,661 |
| Unnamed | 2006 | 24.1 | 661 |
| Unnamed | 2006 | 23.4 | 1,083 |
| Rx Burn 30 | 2006 | 23.5 | 619 |
| 10 A 11 E 11 W Rx Burn | 2006 | 23.1 | 2,975 |
| Unnamed | 2003 | 23.6 | 558 |
| Comp 24 | 2002 | 24.5 | 1,697 |
| Comp 22 23 | 2002 | 22.9 | 1,438 |
| Comp 12 | 2002 | 24.4 | 599 |
| Comp 1312 | 1999 | 24.8 | 2,406 |
| Comp 22 | 1989 | 24.6 | 866 |
| Comp 10 | 1988 | 23.1 | 2,585 |
| Comp 14 | 1987 | 24.7 | 821 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 41 days
Heavy smoke on 3 days in 2025, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
10.5 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
11 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 32 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
7 federal flood insurance claims since 1983, with $85,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Baldwin County, the county that contains Milledgeville.
Claims by ZIP code
| 31061 | 7 | $85,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flood8
- Flash Flood6
- Heavy Rain4
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).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Baldwin County, the county that contains Milledgeville.
Most severe crest
February 25, 1961
Oconee River at Milledgeville, 42.90 ft
20.90 feet above the 22.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
February 7, 2020
Oconee River at Milledgeville, 34.83 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Oconee River at Lake Sinclair | 340.5 | 341.50 ft | 0 |
| Oconee River at Milledgeville | 22.0 | 42.90 ft | 5 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 99 of 1,581 months since 1895 (6%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.
The drought index is for Baldwin County, the county that contains Milledgeville.
99
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
38
Months in extreme drought
6%
Share of all months, severe or worse
31
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
April 2012
−5.82, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
20 months
June 2011 to January 2013.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.10, moderate drought
Last severe month: April 2026.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
1 earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.5 in 1914.
6
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
1
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
March 5, 1914
Magnitude 4.5
Near Madison, Georgia; 32.2 miles away.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 6, 2009
Magnitude 3.2
4 km WNW of Deepstep, Georgia; 13.9 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Mar 5, 1914 | 4.5 | 32.2 |
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
299 events in the National Weather Service record for Baldwin County, 255 of them since 1996.
19
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
49
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
17
Winter weather events since 1996
11
Heat events since 1996
14
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
May 20, 2008
2.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 20, 2008
92 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 5 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Aug 21, 2008Tropical Storm, Baldwin$1.9 million
National Weather Service narrative
Tropical Storm Fay will be remembered from the catastrophic rainfall that it brought to much of Florida as well as being one of the longer lived tropical systems to affect the U.S. Tropical Storm Fay formed from a tropical wave on August 15th along the east coast of Hispaniola. The storm moved west along the south coast of Cuba before reaching a weakness in the subtropical ridge to its north causing it turn north-northwestward into central Cuba by the 17th. Fay continued to track north-northwest through the Florida straits and Florida Keys on the 18th before turning northeast toward the Florida peninsula. The storm made landfall on August 19th in southwest Florida at Cape Romano…
- May 20, 2008Hail$1.2 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Baldwin County 911 Center reported golf ball to baseball-sized hail in Milledgeville. The hail combined with wind gusts in excess of 60 mph caused extensive damage to property in the area. The public also observed golf ball-sized hail in the far southeast part of the county, approximately 11 miles southeast of Milledgeville. The hail caused damage to the roofs of many homes and hundreds of vehicles. The Baldwin County Emergency Management Director reported that the large hail damaged 31 county vehicles costing the county at least $55,000. In addition, the hail caused damage to several county buildings, including the 911 Center, the sheriff's office, and the fire station. The…
- Sep 7, 2004High Wind, Baldwin$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
High wind damage, associated with Tropical Storm Frances, is listed below, in alphabetical order by county for those counties that "high wind" criteria was either met or assumed to be met.Baldwin: The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported that extensive and widespread wind damage was observed. Many trees and power lines were down throughout the county and many parts of the county were expected to be without power for up to four days as a result. In addition, four homes suffered major damage and five suffered minor damage. One man was injured and taken to a local hospital when a tree fell on his mobile home. Four to five inches of rain was also reported throughout the…
- Mar 15, 2008Hail$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
Numerous reports of golf ball-sized hail, and several reports of quarter-sized hail, were received from the public across Baldwin county from the Jones county line west of Browns Crossing and through the central and southern portions of the Milledgeville area. Damage to home and automobiles was observed. An amateur radio operator reported that quarter-sized hail reports were received from the northern part of the county near the Hancock county line to the eastern part of the county near the Washington county line.
- Jun 14, 2023Lightning$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
House fire due to lightning strike. Structure was a total loss.
- May 20, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia along with information received from reports by the Baldwin County Emergency Management Director, the public, and the media, indicated that straight-line winds up to 80 mph affected the Milledgeville area. The worst damage occurred within in an area from 3.5 miles northwest of the city to 1.0 mile north of the city. Within this area, approximately 150 trees were down. Many power lines were also down as a result of fallen trees. Nearly the entire area was without power, some areas over a day. The majority of the damage occurred along Little Road northwest of Milledgeville where up…
- Mar 15, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
The public reported that thunderstorm winds caused considerable damage in the Milledgeville area. Several trailers were overturned, windows in homes were broken, and several vehicles were damaged along Deerwood Drive.
- Jan 28, 2005Winter Storm, Baldwin$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
A significant and fairly prolonged winter storm/ice storm affected nearly all of North and Central Georgia from the evening of Friday January 28th to late morning on Sunday January 30th. The winter storm was a result of a very strong and very cold Arctic surface high pressure system located across the Mid-Atlantic states and an upper-level disturbance moving across the region from the west. North of a line from La Grange, to Thomaston, to Sandersville, the precipitation fell mostly as a mixture of sleet and freezing rain, with typical accumulations of one-half inch glaze ice and one to two inches of sleet. Some areas in North Central and Northeast Georgia experienced significant…
- Mar 20, 2001High Wind, Baldwin$200,000
National Weather Service narrative
A very strong, cutoff upper-level low pressure system moved slowly through the southeast U.S. from the evening of the 19th of March through the morning of the 20th. The accompanying surface low took a path from near Columbus, Georgia to near Athens, Georgia, to near Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina between midnight and noon on the 20th. Very strong east to northeast winds accompanied the surface low as it took this path through central and northeast Georgia during the early morning hours on the 20th. Sustained wind speeds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts to near 60 mph were common throughout central, north central, and northeast Georgia during the morning hours on the 20th,…
- Aug 14, 2020Lightning$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Baldwin County Emergency Manager reported a house struck by lightning in the 100 block of Colony Farm Road. Due to the resulting fire, the house was a total loss.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Macon Middle Ga Regional Airport, 36.5 miles from the city centre, with records from 1948.
- All-time high
- 108°F3 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012
- All-time low
- −6°FJan 21, 1985
- Warmest night
- 79°F8 times, most recently Jul 25, 2010
- Coldest day
- 25°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985
- Wettest day
- 10.25 inJul 5, 1994
- Snowiest day
- 11.0 inFeb 9, 1973
- Hottest year
- 2019mean 67.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1968mean 62.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201372.67 in
- Driest year
- 195426.05 in
- Snowiest season
- 16.5 in1972-73
Median first snow
February 6
Earliest: November 24, 1950
Median last snow
February 8
Latest: March 13, 1993
28 of 47 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Macon Middle Ga Regional Airport (USW00003813), 343 ft elevation, 36.5 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
14 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.
Declarations for Baldwin County.
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3642-GA |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | DR-4830-GA |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | EM-3616-GA |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | DR-4501-GA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3464-GA |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | EM-3406-GA |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | DR-4338-GA |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | EM-3387-GA |
| Mar 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-4165-GA |
| Feb 11, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3368-GA |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3218-GA |
| Mar 11, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1209-GA |
| Mar 15, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3097-GA |
| Jul 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3044-GA |
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).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00003813.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.