Chattooga County

Every recorded tornado

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

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. Sep 21, 2009Flood$7.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Chattooga County Emergency Management Director reported that significant and extensive flooding continued across much of the county. The Chattooga River breached the levees and flooded parts of the city of Trion. Dozens of homes and business were flooded and sustained significant damage, especially in the city of Trion. A number of roads were also flooded, impassable, and closed. Additional monetary damage nearing $7.5 million was incurred during this time frame.

2. Sep 21, 2009Flood$3.7 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Chattooga county emergency management personnel and USGS stream gages confirmed that major to record flooding continued across much of the county. Many homes, apartments, businesses, and roads sustained damage from flooding. Several roads were closed. Monetary damage from flooding continued to mount, with damages exceeding $3.7 million during this time frame, nearly all of which occurred prior to 845 am EDT on the 22nd. Flood waters began to recede after 845 am EDT on the 22nd, but many locations remained flooded through 845 am EDT on the 23rd.

3. Apr 24, 2010Tornado$1.2 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Offices in both Huntsville, Alabama and Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF1 tornado, which initially touched down in eastern DeKalb county Alabama approximately three miles southeast of Valley Head, Alabama, continued into Chattooga county Georgia, crossing into Georgia approximately two miles northwest of Cloudland in northwest Chattooga county. The tornado continued on a nearly 10 mile long path within Chattooga county ending approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Trion in north central Chattooga county. The tornado was rated an EF1 with a maximum path width of 300 yards and maximum wind gusts estimated…

4. Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Chattooga$980,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wintry precipitation plagued the northern third of Georgia beginning Saturday and continued into Sunday. A shallow cold airmass with single-digit dewpoint temperatures was in place over north Georgia, with temperatures in the upper 20s to lower 30s over much of the area. An upper level disturbance moved rapidly over the area in a fast zonal flow, bringing an increase in mid-tropospheric moisture. At the same time, lower level moisture spread into the area from the Gulf of Mexico. Precipitation began falling into the colder layer of air near the surface by mid-morning on the 22nd. The mixture of light rain, snow and sleet had spread from northwest to northeast Georgia by early…

5. Apr 10, 2009Tornado$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that a brief EF2 tornado had touched down approximately one mile southeast of Summerville and tracked less than one mile almost due east. The tornado was determined to have a maximum path width of 200 yards with maximum winds estimated to be 120 mph. Considerable damage was noted in the Summerville area. Over 30 homes were damaged along with 10 businesses. Most of the damage to these structures was determined to be minor. The majority of the damage occurred on Commerce Street. The brick wall of a car care center collapsed, the roof was shifted and lifted from a lumber…

6. Sep 21, 2009Flood$740,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Chattooga County Emergency Management Director reported that significant flooding continued across the county in the wake of earlier flash flooding. The final flood victim of the September 20th and 21st record flood event was claimed in Chattooga county as a 14-year old boy attempted to rescue an individual from a vehicle caught in flood waters of the Chattooga River near Trion. The boy drowned in the flood waters during this attempt. The Chattooga River near Summerville rose above its flood stage of 14 feet at 904 am EDT and remained in flood for several hours throughout the day. Several roads across the county were under water as a result of flooded streams and creeks.…

7. May 20, 2008Hail$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Chattooga County Emergency Management Director observed golf ball-sized hail approximately three miles south-southwest of Summerville. The public observed nickel-sized hail in the Menlo area. Radar supported nickel or larger size hail in a large swath across the central and southern parts of the county from Menlo, to the Floyd county line south of James H. Floyd State Park.

8. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Chattooga$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   High wind damage, associated with Tropical Storm Ivan, is listed below, in alphabetical order by county for those counties that "high wind" criteria was either met or assumed to be met.Banks: The Banks County News of Homer reported widespread damage to trees and power lines throughout the county. More than 73 trees were uprooted or blown down, and many roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines. One home and an unoccupied camper were damaged when trees fell on them and a power line fell on a vehicle while traveling on a county highway. (Estimated Damage: $250,000)Barrow: The Barrow County News and the Gwinnett Daily Post both reported widespread damage to trees and power…

9. Feb 21, 2005Hail$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several reports of hail ranging in size from quarters to ping pong balls were received from amateur radio operators in both Trion and Summerville. The public reported quarter-sized hail just east of Lyerly.

10. May 19, 2013Flash Flood$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Significant flooding occurred northwest through northeast of Trion on Chattooga Creek, Cane Creek, Chappel Creek and Spring Branch which caused minor flooding downstream on the Chattooga River in Summerville. The emergency manager reported up to 20 roads were closed in this area due to overflowing creeks. Six mobile homes were flooded and abandoned. First responders had difficulty in reaching 15 people in the mobile homes for evacuation near U.S. Highway 27 at the intersection of West and East Halls Valley Roads. Some major erosion occurred on portions of the roads.

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

108°FJul 1, 2012

All-time low

−5°FJan 24, 1963

Warmest night

78°FJun 26, 1949

Coldest day

15°F2 times, most recently Jan 30, 1966

Wettest day

6.35 inSep 28, 1963

Snowiest day

6.6 inDec 31, 1963

Hottest year

2019mean 64.2°F

Coldest year

1963mean 58.4°F

Wettest year

196468.56 in

Driest year

200728.88 in

Snowiest season

9.3 in1963-64

Station Rome R B Russell Airport (USW00093801), 639 ft elevation, 14.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 97.4% 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 USW00093801.
• 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.