Riverdale

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. 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.

Every storm within 100 miles

1. 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.

Smoke overhead

1. 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.

Flood insurance figures are for Clayton County, the county that contains Riverdale.

Claims by ZIP code

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 Clayton County, the county that contains Riverdale.

River gauges

1. 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.

The drought index is for Clayton County, the county that contains Riverdale.

1. 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.

1. 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.
2. 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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. May 11, 2008Tornado$7.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 130 mph touched down in far northeast Clayton county, approximately four miles northeast of Morrow, and tracked on the ground for nearly 19 miles from northeast Clayton into northern Henry, southern Rockdale, and into western Newton county before finally lifting. Within Clayton county the tornado path was about 2.75 miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Shortly after touchdown, the tornado caused extensive and significant damage within a 2.5 square mile area of the Ellenwood community. There were 185 private dwellings…

2. Feb 18, 2009Hail$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The public and an off-duty National Weather Service employee reported very large hail across Clayton county. This was from the same parent thunderstorm that produced the 3.0 to 4.0 inch diameter hail in northeast Coweta and northern Fayette counties. Three-inch diameter hail was observed just southwest of Jonesboro in the Irongate subdivision and golf ball-sized hail fell elsewhere from just south of Jonesboro to Lovejoy.

3. Jul 23, 2000Thunderstorm Wind$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, along with the Clayton county 911 center, ham radio operators, and the public reported strong thunderstorm winds caused widespread destruction of trees across northern Clayton county. The damage path continued from southern Fulton county near College Park through Riverdale to Forest Park and Morrow in Clayton county. The area from College Park to Riverdale along Georgia Highway 314 bore the brunt of the storm. Hundreds of trees were down on homes and power lines. Parts of Bethsaida Road and Cheryl Lee Road had to be closed because they were blocked by trees.

4. Jan 19, 2001Tornado$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey, conducted by National Weather Service personnel from the Peachtree City, Georgia office, determined that an F0 tornado briefly touched down at the Forest Square Shopping Center on Georgia Highway 54, Jonesboro Road, near the southwest corner of Fort Gillem. This is about 3 miles southeast of Atlanta's Hartsfield International Airport. Six buildings sustained considerable damage, mainly to roofs, windows, and to exteriors. A pawnshop in the shopping center lost part of its roof and a Pizza Hut, immediately next door, lost all of its windows. Several other buildings in the area lost windows from flying debris. A nearby Pep Boys Auto Parts store lots a large portion…

5. Sep 16, 2004Flash Flood$2.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Clayton County Emergency Manager reported major flooding occurred at the headwaters of the Flint River and various creeks which lead into the Flint river, all in far northern Clayton county near the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. At least six homes in the Springs Subdivision just south of Jonesboro sustained extensive damage from flood waters. Over a dozen homes sustained major damage along the Roxbury Drive. In addition, The Tara Mobile Home Park and Edmonson Mobile Home Parks were flooded. Several businesses along Upper Riverdale and Arrowhead Boulevard were flooded and sustained significant damage. The County Emergency Management Office had to evacuate 37…

6. Mar 18, 2013Hail$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The public reported 1 to 2 inch hail across southern Clayton County.

7. Mar 18, 2013Hail$2.1 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Fulton County Emergency Manager as well as airline and federal employees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport reported quarter to golfball sized hail at the airport. Numerous windshields were broken on Interstate 85 south.

8. Jan 2, 2006Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous reports of large hail were received from the public in Jonesboro, Morrow, Rex, and Lovejoy. Golf ball-sized hail was reported by a storm spotter and also by the Clayton County 911 Center in Jonesboro. The public reported quarter-sized hail in Morrow and Jonesboro. A storm spotter reported quarter-sized hail in the Rex area near the intersection of U.S. Highway 23 and Interstate-675 and the public reported quarter-sized hail in Lovejoy. Another individual reported observing penny-sized hail on Interstate-285 just south of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

9. Jan 24, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Severe thunderstorm winds knocked down many trees in a 4 mile long path. As many as 75 homes in the Mundy's Mill Road area were damaged from shingles being blown off and by falling trees. Straight line winds destroyed 2 warehouse-type buildings on Highway 41 about 1/2 mile north of Munday's Mill Road. Damage to these buildings was placed at $1.3 million. The thunderstorms were part of a line of storms associated with a fast moving cold front that moved through Georgia.

10. Sep 11, 2017Tropical Storm, Clayton$2.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Clayton County Emergency Manager reported numerous trees and power lines blown down across the county. Twenty four homes had minor damage, 14 reported major damage and 2 homes were destroyed. Damage estimates to homes alone are estimated at $1.4 million. Three occupied vehicles were struck by falling trees in separate incidents. Three people in those vehicles received minor injuries. The ASOS at the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport measured wind gusts of 61 mph and 64 mph. Radar estimated between 2 and 4.5 inches of rain fell across the county with 4.45 inches measured in the Riverdale area.

1. 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.

All-time high

106°FJun 30, 2012

All-time low

−8°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

82°FAug 8, 2007

Coldest day

15°F2 times, most recently Jan 30, 1966

Wettest day

6.68 inOct 4, 1995

Snowiest day

8.3 inJan 23, 1940

Hottest year

2019mean 66.2°F

Coldest year

1976mean 59.1°F

Wettest year

194871.45 in

Driest year

195431.80 in

Snowiest season

10.9 in1935-36

Station Atlanta Hartsfield-jackson Int (USW00013874), 1,011 ft elevation, 4.9 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1930 to October 27, 2026; 100.0% 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.

Declarations for Clayton County.

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.

• 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 USW00013874.
• 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.