Candler County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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 15, 1999Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado ripped the end off one mobile home, caused moderate damage to a house and practically destroyed seven other mobile homes. Another mobile home was flipped several times and ended up on the bottom of a nearby pond. Two persons were in this mobile home. The female landed at the edge of the water while the male was thrown into the pond and had to swim ashore.

2. Sep 11, 2017Tropical Depression, Candler$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Candler County Emergency Management reported multiple trees down across the county due to strong winds associated with Tropical Storm Irma. The RAWS site located near Metter measured a peak wind gust of 50 mph.

3. Jun 14, 2026Lightning$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Candler County Emergency Management reported a residential fire due to a lightning strike in the 9500 block of Hiawatha Road. The structure is considered a possible total loss due to the fire.

4. Apr 22, 1997Tornado$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   TREES UPROOTED, LIVESTOCK KILLED, FRONT PORCH LIFTED OFF A HOME, BOAT WAS LIFTED OFF TRAILER AND THROWN ONE-QUARTER MILE AND FARM EQUIPMENT DAMAGED.

5. Aug 30, 2023Flash Flood$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Candler County Emergency Management reported numerous dirt roads washed out|across the county due to heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Idalia. Flooding water also entered a nursing home in Metter. Daily rainfall amounts between 5.50 to 7.88 inches were recorded by the time of flash flooding starting across the area.

6. Sep 25, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Public reported 60 Pecan trees knocked down at 4940 Highway 23 North, 3 miles north-northwest of Metter, Georgia.

7. May 11, 2025Flash Flood$30,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Candler County dispatch reported multiple roads washed out and damaged due to flash flooding. Byrd Jr School Road was washed out between Saint Mathews Church Road and Kirkland Road and both ends of Meridy Road were also washed out.

8. Jan 10, 2011Ice Storm, Candler$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Candler County Emergency Manager reported storm total ice accumulations of 0.25 to 0.50 inches, highest across northern and western portions of the county. Numerous trees were also reported down across the county due to ice accumulation.

9. Aug 31, 2023Flash Flood$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A Candler County emergency manager reported a 55 acre pond dam failed on Cook Pond Road due to recent heavy rainfall associated with Tropical Storm Idalia.

10. Jul 11, 2025Lightning$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Candler County dispatch reported that lightning struck a power line and caused it to fall into the roadway at the intersection of Greenwood Circle and Brannen Road.

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

109°FJul 13, 1980

All-time low

1°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

82°FAug 25, 1996

Coldest day

25°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

12.75 inSep 27, 1929

Snowiest day

5.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 10, 1973

Hottest year

1990mean 68.9°F

Coldest year

1969mean 64.0°F

Wettest year

192971.38 in

Driest year

200126.29 in

Station Brooklet 1 W (USC00091266), 180 ft elevation, 22.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1925 to October 27, 2026; 96.6% 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 USC00091266.
• 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.