Fannin County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Fannin 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. Oct 16, 2016Wildfire, Fannin$8.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In the early morning hours of October 16th, lightning ignited a wildfire deep in the heart of the Cohutta Wilderness in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The ���Rough Ridge��� wildfire spread through the very remote Cohutta Wilderness and surrounding portions of the Chattahoochee National Forest, eventually consuming 27,950 acres in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray Counties. Nearly $8.5 million federal dollars were expended fighting this wildfire before it was finally declared contained on November 30th.

2. Nov 1, 2016Wildfire, Fannin$8.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   In the early morning hours of October 16th, lightning ignited a wildfire deep in the heart of the Cohutta Wilderness in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The ���Rough Ridge��� wildfire spread through the very remote Cohutta Wilderness and surrounding portions of the Chattahoochee National Forest, eventually consuming 27,950 acres in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray Counties. Nearly $8.5 million federal dollars were expended fighting this wildfire before it was finally declared contained on November 30th.

3. May 26, 2011Hail$1.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous reports of large to very large damaging hail were received from the Fannin County 911 Center and the public across Fannin county. As the thunderstorm entered Fannin county from the southwest, it produced golf ball-sized hail near Blue Ridge. The hail grew in size to softballs (4.25 inch diameter) as the storm moved over the Morganton area. Extensive damage was reported to vehicles in the Morganton area and adjacent areas in the eastern part of the county.

4. Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Fannin$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. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Fannin$500,000
   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…

6. Aug 13, 2005Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Fannin County Emergency Management Director reported that persistent thunderstorms with heavy rain resulted in flash flooding in the McCaysville area. The most significant damage occurred to a convenience store on Georgia Highway 5, also known as Blue Ridge Drive. The store was built over a culvert. Flooding caused a rupture in the culvert pipe under the building which forced water up into the store. The water rose one foot deep causing the wooden floor to buckle. Pavement on the outside of the store buckled as well. The store was a complete loss and condemned by local officials. Several ditches in the area were also washed out during the flash flooding. Rainfall of three to…

7. Aug 29, 2005Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service and the Fannin County Emergency Management Director confirmed that a high-end F0 tornado had touched down at the intersection of U.S. Highway 76 and Loving Road and traveled almost due north for approximately 1/4 mile paralleling Loving Road. The damage path was determined to be 1/4 mile long and 100 yards wide. The damage began at the Appalachia Baptist Church on U.S. Highway 76. Part of the roof was blown off the church and the church's sign on the highway was destroyed. It was also noted that a trash dumpster was moved several dozen feet in the parking lot and an air conditioning compressor was moved from its concrete…

8. Jan 11, 2020Tornado$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF-1 tornado with peak winds of 100 mph and a maximum path width of 450 yards touched down along Deep Hole |Campground Road south of the Morganton Highway, Georgia Highway 60, and traveled east-northeast along Morganton Highway, intensifying and downing hundreds of trees along the highway. A 40 foot steel radio tower at a Fannin County Fire Station was blown down and at least four homes suffered damage from fallen trees. The tornado weakened and turned northeast along Cooper Creek Road downing sporadic trees before finally dissipating near the Union County line near the Davis Family Cemetery off of Mulky Gap Road. [01/11/20:…

9. Apr 17, 2013Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wilscot Creek flooded around six different roads with up to two feet of water and damaged two county bridges and three private bridges. Portions of Old Dial Road were affected the most with a camper being washed away and getting crushed under a bridge. Rapid flowing flood waters caused a propane tank to break away from a house and float downstream. The flooding also surrounded and entered a house which temporarily stranded an elderly couple. A land slide occurred on a portion of Daves Road.

10. Mar 20, 2004Hail$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Fannin county 911 center reported that golf ball-sized hail was observed at the June Walker Chevrolet dealership just southwest of Blue Ridge.

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

100°F4 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

−16°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

75°F3 times, most recently Aug 31, 2026

Coldest day

6°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

5.50 inMar 11, 1952

Snowiest day

13.0 inMar 2, 1942

Hottest year

1945mean 60.1°F

Coldest year

1976mean 52.9°F

Wettest year

202082.65 in

Driest year

193535.75 in

Snowiest season

21.9 in1935-36

Station Blairsville Experiment Station (USC00090969), 1,949 ft elevation, 21.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1931 to August 31, 2026; 94.0% 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 USC00090969.
• 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.