Chattahoochee County
Population 8,465 (2025) 249 sq mi
Large wildfires have burned 29,805 acres of Chattahoochee County since 1984, 6th most of 159 counties in Georgia; the largest was the Unnamed Fire in 2004.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths since 195013
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger36
- Wildfire burn scars since 198413
At a glance
The record for Chattahoochee County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Acres burned since 1984
29,805
6th of 159 in Georgia
13 large fires; the largest was Unnamed, 2004
DetailsStrongest tornado
F3
March 13, 1954, 7.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
Cat. 1
Hurricane Michael, 2018, 40.4 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 5.8 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
March 13, 1954
F3, 7.0 mile path
1,480 yards wide; 2 killed along the whole path.
Most recent
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
EF1, 6.7 mile path
4 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF1 | 6.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 1, 2017 | EF0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 2015 | EF1 | 7.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 23, 2014 | EF1 | 21.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 16, 2011 | EF1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF1 | 3.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 10, 2009 | EF1 | 3.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 17, 2008 | EF0 | 48.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 15, 2006 | F1 | 1.5 | 9 | 0 |
| Aug 12, 1966 | F0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 8, 1961 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 30, 1960 | F1 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 13, 1954 | F3 | 7.0 | 20 | 2 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Chattahoochee County: 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
19 passed within 50 miles since 1851; 2 at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
October 11, 2018
Michael, Category 1
40.4 miles at closest approach, winds near 81 mph.
Most recent
September 27, 2024
Helene, Category 1
86.3 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Helene | 2024 | 86.3 | Category 1 |
| Nestor | 2019 | 71.3 | Post-tropical |
| Michael | 2018 | 40.4 | Category 1 |
| Earl | 1998 | 75.0 | Tropical storm |
| Opal | 1995 | 81.7 | Tropical storm |
| Kate | 1985 | 84.0 | Category 1 |
| Eloise | 1975 | 48.7 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1965 | 14.5 | Tropical storm |
| Dora | 1964 | 62.8 | Tropical storm |
| Flossy | 1956 | 67.4 | Tropical storm |
| Florence | 1953 | 68.1 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1941 | 64.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1929 | 83.9 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1917 | 27.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 11.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1914 | 74.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1912 | 59.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 93.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 73.0 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1906 | 40.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1903 | 42.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 48.3 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 33.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 22.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 25.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 15.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 7.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1894 | 85.7 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 32.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1889 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1887 | 17.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1886 | 74.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1882 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1881 | 7.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1877 | 82.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1877 | 97.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1860 | 50.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1859 | 36.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1856 | 53.8 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 20.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1851 | 54.6 | Category 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.
Wildfire and smoke
29,805 acres burned in 13 large fires since 1984, equal to 19% of the land.
Largest
February 28, 2004
Unnamed Fire, 2,489 acres
2,487 acres inside Chattahoochee County.
Most recent
March 22, 2018
Pond Road Fire
737 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Pond Road Fire | 2018 | 220 | 737 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 947 | 946 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 1,476 | 1,478 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 1,947 | 1,949 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 2,991 | 2,989 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 2,201 | 2,201 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 2,198 | 2,200 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 3,210 | 3,213 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 2,487 | 2,489 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 3,429 | 3,432 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 2,501 | 2,503 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 3,441 | 5,400 |
| Unnamed | 2004 | 2,750 | 2,752 |
- 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: 45 days
Heavy smoke on 4 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
11.6 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
12 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
2 federal flood insurance claims since 1979, with $2,420 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood4
- Flood2
- Heavy Rain2
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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 153 of 1,581 months since 1895 (10%); the longest spell lasted 21 months.
153
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
45
Months in extreme drought
10%
Share of all months, severe or worse
27
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
September 1925
−5.47, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
21 months
May 2011 to January 2013.
Latest month
September 2026
+1.59, slightly wet
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
2 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1982; none reached magnitude 4.
0
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
1
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
October 30, 1982
Magnitude 3.1
12 km S of Hamilton, Georgia; 13.6 miles away, 0.0 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
October 30, 1982
Magnitude 3.1
12 km S of Hamilton, Georgia; 13.6 miles away.
- 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).
- 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
194 events in the National Weather Service record, 152 of them since 1996.
10
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
24
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
9
Winter weather events since 1996
11
Heat events since 1996
15
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
March 20, 2006
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
July 3, 1985
81 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 2 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Nov 15, 2006Tornado$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, GA concluded that an F1 tornado had touched down at the intersection of Sightseeing Road and Lavoy Road in the northern portion of Fort Benning and traveled north-northeast toward the Upatoi Creek and the Muscogee county line. The tornado crossed just across the border into Muscogee county before lifting. Moderate damage was observed within the Main Post area of Fort Benning along a 150-yard wide, 1.5-mile long path. The majority of the damage occurred along Wold Avenue, where about 10 World War II warehouses were heavily damage, and 18-wheel truck was flipped over, and two vehicles were damaged…
- Apr 16, 2011Tornado$250,000
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down within the Fort Benning Military Reservation approximately seven miles east-northeast of the Fort Benning Lawson Army Air Field or about 9.5 miles southeast of Columbus in far northern Chattahoochee county. The tornado was determined to have a path length of 1/4 mile long with a path width of 50 yards. The tornado removed one fourth of the roof and a portion of an exterior wall of a dormitory on the army base. More than a dozen vehicles were tossed, turned, and flipped about by the tornado. In addition, there were approximately 30 trees…
- Apr 10, 2009Tornado$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that a second EF1 tornado touched down within Chattahoochee county from the same parent supercell thunderstorm that spawned an earlier EF1 tornado 2.5 miles south of Ochille. This EF1 tornado touched down approximately 2.5 miles east-northeast of Cusseta and also traveled on the ground about 4.0 miles to the east-southeast just north of and paralleling Georgia Highway 26. The maximum path width was determined to be 100 yards with maximum winds estimated at 80 mph. Minor damage was observed to at least two homes and one church. A 20 by 24 foot metal storage building on…
- Apr 10, 2009Tornado$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia, confirmed that an EF1 tornado had touched down approximately 2.5 miles south of Ochille and continued on an east-southeastward track across central Chattahoochee county, lifting about 4.0 miles east-southeast of its touchdown point. The path width was determined to be 440 yards with maximum winds estimated at 80 mph. The damage appeared to have begun as a downburst, within which the brief EF1 tornado spin up occurred. Combined damage from the downburst and EF1 tornado consisted of destruction of several out buildings and sheds. Hundreds of trees were flattened along the path of…
- Apr 11, 2007Hail$80,000
National Weather Service narrative
The weather observer for the Fort Benning military reservation observed half-dollar to golf ball-sized hail. The public also observed golf ball-sized hail in the area as well. The Chattahoochee County 911 Center reported quarter-sized hail in Cusseta. The weather observer at Fort Benning also observed wind gusts to 43 mph. Some small tree limbs were blown down in the area.
- Sep 11, 2017Tropical Storm, Chattahoochee$75,000
National Weather Service narrative
The news media reported many trees and power lines blown down across the county. A wind gust of 47 mph was measured at Lawson Army Airfield on Fort Benning. Some customers were without electricity for varying periods of time. Radar estimated between 2.5 and 4.5 inches of rain fell across the county with 4.34 inches measured at Lawson Army Airfield. No injuries were reported.
- Dec 24, 2015Flash Flood$56,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Chattahoochee County Emergency Manager reported a few roads and culverts were washed out in the Cusseta area due to rapidly flowing streams and creeks in flood.
- Feb 17, 2008Tornado$35,000
National Weather Service narrative
An aerial and ground survey conducted by the National Weather Service, the Georgia State Patrol, and the Chattahoochee County Emergency Management Director concluded that the EF0 tornado, which originated in Alabama and then crossed into Stewart county, continued into Chattahoochee county just south of Jamestown. The tornado continued on an east-northeastward track across U.S. Highway 27 near Cusseta, and then to the Marion county border at Georgia Highway 137. The tornado path length was over 12 miles long with a maximum path width of 100 yards. Numerous trees and power lines were blown down along the spotty damage path of the tornado. A single-wide mobile home was rolled at a…
- Jun 16, 2010Hail$30,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Chattahoochee County Emergency Management Director reported golf ball-sized hail just east of Cusseta. The public observed nickel-sized hail in Cusseta.
- Nov 23, 2014Tornado$25,000
National Weather Service narrative
A NWS storm survey team found that an EF-1 tornado, with maximum wind speeds of 107 MPH, touched down in Chattahoochee County around the town of Cusseta along U.S. Highway 27. The tornado tracked northeast around 18 miles mile before crossing into Marion County near County Road 65 and Little Juniper Creek. The tornado caused mainly damage to trees with numerous hardwood and softwood trees snapped or uprooted. [11/23/14: Tornado #3, County #1-3, EF1, Chattahoochee-Marion-Talbot, 2014:020].
- 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 Columbus Metro Airport, 12.3 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1948.
- All-time high
- 106°FJun 30, 2012
- All-time low
- −2°FJan 21, 1985
- Warmest night
- 82°FAug 2, 1999
- Coldest day
- 23°FJan 21, 1985
- Wettest day
- 5.92 inApr 19, 2020
- Snowiest day
- 11.0 inFeb 9, 1973
- Hottest year
- 2019mean 68.6°F
- Coldest year
- 1968mean 62.8°F
- Wettest year
- 200980.20 in
- Driest year
- 199926.39 in
- Snowiest season
- 14.0 in1972-73
Median first snow
January 25
Earliest: December 18, 1996
Median last snow
January 25
Latest: March 13, 1993
43 of 53 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Columbus Metro Airport (USW00093842), 394 ft elevation, 12.3 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 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
12 since 1953. The most recent: Hurricane Isaias, October 9, 2026.
| Oct 9, 2026 | Tropical Storm | EM-3657-GA |
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3642-GA |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | EM-3616-GA |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | DR-4501-GA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3464-GA |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | DR-4400-GA |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | EM-3406-GA |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | DR-4338-GA |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | EM-3387-GA |
| Feb 26, 2016 | Severe Storm | DR-4259-GA |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3218-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.
How this compares
Where Chattahoochee County stands among 159 counties in Georgia and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 13 | 79 / 159 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 1 | 40 / 159 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 19 | 86 / 159 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 2 | 69 / 159 |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 29,805 | 6 / 159 |
| Flood insurance claims | 2 | 121 / 159 |
| Flood insurance paid | $2,420 | 129 / 159 |
| Disaster declarations | 12 | 157 / 159 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 8 | 136 / 159 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 55 | 152 / 159 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 9 | 93 / 159 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $1.5 million | 142 / 159 |
| River crests at major flood stage | 0 | — |
| High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years | 0.0 | — |
| Months in severe drought since 1895 | 153 | 22 / 159 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 11.6 | 1 / 159 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 0 | — |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 0 | — |
Neighbouring counties
| Marion County | 11 | 21 |
| Muscogee County | 19 | 18 |
| Russell County AL | 31 | 20 |
| Stewart County | 15 | 27 |
| Talbot County | 21 | 17 |
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 USW00093842.
- 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.