Burke County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 10, 2009Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An supercell tornado tracked across Burke county and severely damaged several homes and buildings. Numerous trees and powerlines were damaged. There was one critical injury and several other minor injuries.

2. Sep 27, 2024Tropical Storm, Burke$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant widespread tree and power line damage throughout the county. Large section of the county without power and many structures were damaged by fallen trees. NWS storm survey estimated maximum wind gusts were between 90 to 100+mph. Areas of flooding with 2 day rainfall totals from COOP observer in Waynesboro totaling 3.45 inches. A person died in an auto accident due to an inoperable traffic light.

3. Apr 5, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous trees and powerlines down. Severe Damage to two manufacturing plants on the north side of town and trees on several homes.

4. Nov 16, 2011Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   NWS storm survey found a strong EF1 tornado touched down in the woods taking down numerous trees, damaging a couple of homes, a garage, a couple of outbuildings, and turned over an RV.

5. Mar 18, 2013Tornado$120,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF1 Tonado touched down about 12 miles southwest of Waynesboro taking down trees, severely damaging field irrigation systems and destroying cattle barns and heavy equipment barns at several locations. A few cattle were killed and others injured.

6. Mar 15, 2008Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Storm survey found numerous trees and powerlines down along path. One home suffered moderate damage from large hail and the tornado. Windows were broken from the hail and siding was severely damaged. Shingles and a small part of the roof were gone. Several mobile homes had minor to moderate damage.

7. Aug 30, 2023Tropical Storm, Burke$85,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Burke County Emergency Management reported scattered trees and power lines blown down across the county, blocking some roadways. 2 vehicles and one structure were damaged due to trees falling on them.

8. Oct 12, 2022Flash Flood$75,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Waynesboro Fire Chief reported about 5 to 7 homes were flooded with about a half foot of water or less. This included some apartments on Martin Luther King Jr Dr and Magnolia Acres and some homes along Waters St. Several roads were flooded and closed. About 8 vehicles were flooded. 2 people were rescued from a flooded compact car at E 7th St and Fulcher St. No injuries.

9. Mar 15, 2008Hail$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   One home suffered moderate damage from large hail and a tornado. Windows were broken from the hail and siding was severely damaged.

10. May 20, 2008Tornado$56,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Storm survey found numerous trees and a few powerlines down along a path in rural Burke county. One home had trees down on an out building and minor damage was done to the back of an abonded church. Damage was also done to several wheat fields.

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

110°FSep 25, 1921

All-time low

−1°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

83°FAug 27, 1954

Coldest day

20°FJan 28, 1986

Wettest day

7.40 inOct 3, 1994

Snowiest day

16.0 inFeb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1911mean 66.7°F

Coldest year

1968mean 61.1°F

Wettest year

199269.72 in

Driest year

201127.17 in

Snowiest season

16.0 in1972-73

Station Waynesboro 2 S (USC00099194), 277 ft elevation, 2.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1891 to October 26, 2026; 92.7% 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 USC00099194.
• 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.