Floyd County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Floyd County: 2.
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. Apr 27, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Floyd County Emergency Management Director reported that strong thunderstorm winds, likely well in excess of 60 mph, caused widespread and extensive damage across the county. Some of the worst damage was in the Cave Spring area. All together, 157 homes and 13 commercial buildings sustained minor to moderate damage or were destroyed, many from downed trees. Four injuries were reported during this event, three which occurred when a large tree fell on a vehicle and a fourth when a large tree fell on a home and injured an elderly lady. Over 300 trees were down across the county causing 32 roads to be closed. Over 15,000 homes and many businesses across the county were left without…

2. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the EF2 tornado that originated in Cherokee county, Alabama, then crossed into extreme northwest Polk county, Georgia, continued across southern Floyd county before crossing into and eventually lifting in southwest Bartow county. The tornado tracked entered Floyd county approximately 1.4 miles south of Cave Spring then moved to the Bartow county line approximately 7.6 miles east of Lindale. Within Floyd county, the tornado had a path length of just under 19 miles. The maximum path width remained at 1/2 mile with maximum winds estimated to be 125 mph. Several homes…

3. Dec 22, 2011Tornado$2.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia, confirmed that an EF2 tornado, the first of six tornadoes to affect west Georgia on this day, touched down approximately three miles west-southwest of Rome, then continued on a northeastward track approximately 12 miles before lifting about 7 1/4 miles north-northeast of Rome. The tornado was determined to have a maximum path width of 200 yards with maximum winds estimated to be 125 mph. As the tornado first touched down just west of Rome, it was classified as an EF1 but strengthened to an EF2 as it moved toward the community of Walton Creek. The tornado remained at an EF2…

4. Feb 22, 2012Tornado$1.6 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado touched down in Rome just west of the Maplewood Subdivision. EF-1 damage, consisting mostly of uprooted and snapped trees, occurred as the tornado moved in a general easterly direction. The tornado traveled east of Rome and nearly paralleled Kingston Highway, where the most significant damage was sustained near the intersection of Kingston Highway and Freeman Ferry. At this location, a small store lost a significant portion of its roof, and the entire roof was blown off of a single-wide manufactured home. The one indirect fatality associated with the storm occurred at this location, when a 73-year-old woman died of a heart attack after the storm passed. The tornado…

5. Mar 15, 2008Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A ground and aerial storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City Georgia in cooperation with the Georgia State Patrol confirmed that the EF3 tornado, that first touched down in extreme north central Polk county just east of Seney, continued on an east-northeastward track across extreme southeast Floyd county. Approximately three miles of the 16-mile long path of this tornado was within Floyd county. The maximum path was once again estimated to be approximately 1/2 mile. Despite the relatively short time frame and small area of the county affected, considerable damage was inflicted to the far southeast part of the county. A home was…

6. May 6, 2003Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Floyd county Emergency Management Director and the county 911 center reported extensive flooding of roads around the county because of flash flooding and river flooding as four to five inches of rain was reported in just a few hours during the late morning and early afternoon. Nearly 30 roads around the county had to be closed because of flooding. Twenty to 30 residents of the Willingham Village Apartments in West Rome had to be evacuated because of flood waters as a nearby creek overflowed its banks. The Rome News Tribune reported that flooding was quite extensive across the county, especially in the Rome area. A number of homes in the Rome area were also flooded, and several…

7. Apr 15, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that extensive damage to trees in the south part of Rome toward Lindale was the result of strong straight-line thunderstorm winds, estimated to be on the order of 80 mph. Up to 100 trees were uprooted or blown over in this area. Two dozen homes sustained moderate to major damage. One home was crushed by a very large tree which fell right across the middle of the structure. In addition, at least five roads across the county were also closed as a result of downed trees.

8. Apr 10, 2009Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several reports of hail, ranging in size from pennies to baseballs were received from the northern part of Floyd county as yet a third supercell thunderstorm tracked across the region from Coosa to just south of Shannon. Hail in Rome ranged in size from less than pennies to baseballs. Golf ball-sized hail was observed near Shannon.

9. Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Floyd$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…

10. Apr 2, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Floyd County Emergency Management Director and the Rome News Tribune reported that a narrow, 5 to 10-mile wide line of thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts of at least 60 mph from the southwest to the northeast part of the county. Several large trees were blown down in the Cave Spring, Rome, and Shannon areas. Extensive damage was reported to about seven homes in Rome on Fernwood Drive, Shoreline Drive, Brookwood Avenue, East Fourth Street, East Glover Street, and Flannery Street. Six homes were damaged in Cave Spring from downed trees.

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, 6.5 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.