Brantley County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Brantley County: 0.
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.

Every large fire

1. 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

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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. Apr 20, 2026Wildfire, Brantley$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On April 20, 2026 at 4 PM EDT, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported a wildfire developed along Highway 82 near Atkinson, GA. The Highway 82 fire was caused by a Mylar balloon coming into contact with a power line, creating an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding vegetation. This wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history, with 110 homes destroyed and 27 homes damaged. At 7 PM EDT, a voluntary evacuation was requested for those North of Hwy 82 to the East and West of Hwy 110 and was then extended northward up GA-110. On April 21st at 5 AM, the fire was 700 acres and 75% contained per the GFC. Portions of Highway 82 were closed due to…

2. May 1, 2026Wildfire, Brantley$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   On April 20, 2026 at 4 PM EDT, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported a wildfire developed along Highway 82 near Atkinson, GA. The Highway 82 fire was caused by a Mylar balloon coming into contact with a power line, creating an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding vegetation. This wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history, with 110 homes destroyed and 27 homes damaged. On May 1st, the fire was 22,532 acres and 45% contained. Boots Harrison Road, North of Albert Gibson Road and Highway 32 from US 301 to Highway 99 remained closed due to fire and smoke. At 7 PM, the Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) reopened SR 110 to traffic in…

3. Feb 12, 2025Wildfire, Brantley$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A wildfire was about 8 acres just south of U.S. Highway 82 in NE Brantley County near the Waynesville area. The fire destroyed 3 homes, 6 vehicles and 7 sheds. There were no reported injuries. The cost of damage was unknown but estimated for inclusion in Storm Data.

4. Jul 14, 2010Lightning$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Waycross Journal/Herald reported that lightning struck a 100 year old farmhouse about a mile from Laura Walker State Park during the afternoon. There were no injuries. The time of the fire was approximated based on radar imagery, and the lightning fire persisted into the early morning hours of the following day as fire fighters contained the blaze to just the house that it destroyed. The cost of damage was estimated.

5. Sep 25, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   About one hundred trees were blown down near Hortense. Many trees were large oaks. One mobile home was destroyed and two mobile homes were damaged. There was significant damage to a roof of a business. A large drum filled with liquid was carried about 80 yards. The time of the event was based on radar imagery. The cost of damage was estimated.

6. Jun 1, 2026Wildfire, Brantley$50,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   On April 20, 2026 at 4 PM EDT, the Georgia Forestry Commission reported a wildfire developed along Highway 82 near Atkinson, GA. The Highway 82 fire was caused by a Mylar balloon coming into contact with a power line, creating an electrical arc that ignited the surrounding vegetation. This wildfire resulted in the worst home loss from a single fire in Georgia history across three counties, with 110 homes destroyed and 27 homes damaged. Per the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC), the fire was 98% contained on June 3rd. The fire became 100% contained on June 10th. The total cost of the fire across three counties was $19,371,895.

7. Mar 1, 1998Flood, Brantley$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Total flooding related to El Nino. More than 200 homes damaged. Flooding mainly along the St Mary's, Altamaha, and Satilla Rivers. Some areas also effect with Closed Basin flooding.

8. May 19, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Buildings were damaged by thunderstorm winds. One mobile home was damaged due to the roof being blown off at 1394 Hortense Road. Two barns were destroyed by thunderstorm winds. One barn was located at 235 Horsestomp Road. The other barn was located at 2078 Old Highway 32. At 11766 Raybon Road West a tree was blown over and landed on a carport with the car still underneath. At 1597 Highway 32 West, trees uprooted and caused damage to pool concrete. A wooden fence, wire fence, and gate were also damaged. The time of wind damage was estimated and based on radar imagery. The cost of damage was estimated...and is likely an underestimate.

9. Jan 2, 1999Thunderstorm Wind$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One mobile home destroyed, several homes with minor roof damage.

10. Jul 15, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$4,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A couple of pecan trees were blown down near the intersection of Post Road and Chicora Road. One tree fell on a house and the other on a car. The cost of damage was estimated, and there were no injuries reported.

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

105°F2 times, most recently Jun 23, 2022

All-time low

−1°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

80°F2 times, most recently Jun 18, 1996

Coldest day

25°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Wettest day

7.66 inApr 24, 2021

Snowiest day

4.4 inFeb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1990mean 70.1°F

Coldest year

1940mean 64.1°F

Wettest year

194764.56 in

Driest year

195426.08 in

Snowiest season

5.0 in2024-25

Station Alma Bacon County Airport (USW00013870), 191 ft elevation, 38.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 26, 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00013870.
• 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.