Haralson County
Population 33,066 (2025) 282 sq mi
Haralson County has recorded 24 tornadoes since 1950, 24th most of 159 counties in Georgia; the most recent was on March 19, 2018.
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 195024
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger16
- Wildfire burn scars since 19842
At a glance
The record for Haralson County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi
8
121st of 159 in Georgia
None at hurricane strength since 1851
DetailsAcres burned since 1984
1,081
43rd of 159 in Georgia
2 large fires; the largest was Treat Mountain, 2016
DetailsStrongest tornado
EF3
March 19, 2018, 35.2 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm Eloise, 1975, 0.0 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 3.2 years since 1950, 3 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
March 19, 2018
EF3, 35.2 mile path
2,175 yards wide.
Deadliest
April 3, 1974
1 killed, F2
20 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Monday, March 19, 2018
EF1, 1.4 mile path
8 years ago.
Every recorded tornado
| Mar 19, 2018 | EF1 | 1.4 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 19, 2018 | EF3 | 35.2 | 4 | 0 |
| Feb 7, 2018 | EF0 | 1.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 11, 2013 | EF0 | 5.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2, 2012 | EF3 | 29.0 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec 10, 2008 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 29, 2005 | F0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 7, 1999 | F2 | 10.0 | 3 | 0 |
| Apr 8, 1998 | F1 | 3.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 1994 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 4, 1989 | F1 | 13.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 5, 1989 | F1 | 3.7 | 0 | 0 |
| May 3, 1984 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 4, 1979 | F1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 20, 1974 | F1 | 2.0 | 6 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 1974 | F2 | 65.9 | 20 | 1 |
| Mar 16, 1973 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 27, 1972 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 12, 1968 | F2 | 6.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 30, 1967 | F1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1967 | F2 | 13.9 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 28, 1964 | F3 | 15.7 | 10 | 0 |
| Dec 12, 1961 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 12, 1961 | F1 | 2.7 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Haralson County: 1.
- 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
8 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
September 23, 1975
Eloise, Tropical storm
0.0 miles at closest approach, winds near 61 mph.
Most recent
October 29, 2020
Zeta, Tropical storm
13.9 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Zeta | 2020 | 13.9 | Tropical storm |
| Opal | 1995 | 37.2 | Tropical storm |
| Eloise | 1975 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1932 | 35.9 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 8.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1912 | 26.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 6.6 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1903 | 29.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 14.5 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 88.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 1.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 56.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 89.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 50.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1892 | 81.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1889 | 91.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1882 | 73.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1881 | 93.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1859 | 44.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 64.8 | Tropical storm |
- 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
1,081 acres burned in 2 large fires since 1984, equal to 0.6% of the land.
Largest
November 10, 2016
Treat Mountain Fire, 634 acres
635 acres inside Haralson County.
Most recent
November 20, 2016
Bells Road Fire
507 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Bells Road | 2016 | 445 | 507 |
| Treat Mountain | 2016 | 635 | 634 |
- 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: 48 days
Heavy smoke on 4 days in 2025, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
10.6 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
8 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 35 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
1 federal flood insurance claims since 2009, with $47,000 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flood10
- Flash Flood5
- 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.
River crests
Most severe crest
March 16, 2025
Tallapoosa River at US 78 near Tallapoosa, 19.96 ft
3.96 feet above the 16.0 ft flood stage; minor flooding by today’s categories.
River gauges
| Tallapoosa River at US 78 near Tallapoosa | 16.0 | 19.96 ft | 0 |
- 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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 154 of 1,581 months since 1895 (10%); the longest spell lasted 21 months.
154
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
63
Months in extreme drought
10%
Share of all months, severe or worse
36
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
January 2008
−5.56, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
21 months
March 2007 to November 2008.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.43, moderate drought
Last severe month: May 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
1 earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.6 in 2003.
0
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
4
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
1
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
April 29, 2003
Magnitude 4.6
8 km S of Valley Head, Alabama; 43.2 miles away, 12.3 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
May 6, 2010
Magnitude 3.2
11 km ENE of Whitesboro, Alabama; 37.7 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Apr 29, 2003 | 4.6 | 43.2 |
- 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
326 events in the National Weather Service record, 285 of them since 1996.
28
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
0
Hail, 2 inches or larger
64
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
26
Winter weather events since 1996
11
Heat events since 1996
14
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
June 10, 1969
1.75 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
March 19, 2018
96 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 5 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- May 6, 2003Flash Flood$1.3 million
National Weather Service narrative
The Haralson county Sheriff reported that numerous roads were flooded, impassable, and closed. In addition, several creeks were flowing out of their banks, including Beech Creek near Waco. The Haralson county Emergency Management Director later reported that up to 62 roads in the county received damage from the flooding, eight of which were washed out and impassable pending major repairs. One home was totally destroyed when a large tree fell through the house as the result of flood waters washing away the roots. In addition, an earthen dam on a small lake in a subdivision was on the verge of being breached and threatening homes in the area
- Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Haralson$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…
- Mar 2, 2012Tornado$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
An EF-1 tornado touched down at approximately 8:09 PM in Haralson County near Cross Roads Church Road and Tallapoosa Highway, uprooting and snapping trees for several miles. The tornado strengthened to an EF-3 along Bethlehem Church Road where a house collapsed and a repair shop was destroyed. One person was injured when the house collapsed into the basement, where he was taking shelter. At that residence, two dogs were killed. A cow died in a nearby field. The tornado continued across Haralson County, crossing Highway 27 where dozens of trees where snapped and uprooted. As the tornado continued east, minor damage was sustained to a church where a steeple was blown off. Hundreds…
- Jul 10, 2007Thunderstorm Wind$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Haralson County Emergency Management Director reported that a poultry farm between Bremen and the Carroll county line near Temple was destroyed from an apparent thunderstorm downburst or microburst. A number of trees were down in the area of the poultry farm and were twisted about with sheet metal from the damaged poultry facility. Damage to the poultry farm alone was valued at $0.75M. A couple of trees were also down in the southern part of the county.
- Dec 10, 2008Tornado$600,000
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a brief EF0 tornado touched down at the Haralson County High School, approximately three miles east-northeast of Tallapoosa. The tornado traveled on the ground between 100 and 150 yards with a maximum path width of 50 yards. The main classroom building suffered the majority of the damage, where a heating and air conditioning unit was blown off the roof and into the adjacent parking lot, causing minor damage to a few cars. A few windows were also broken and an outdoor scoreboard was destroyed. Several small trees on the campus were snapped, including one which fell onto…
- Mar 19, 2018Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
National Weather Service narrative
A National Weather Service survey team found an area of intense thunderstorm wind damage in Haralson County. Thousands of trees were blown down in a swath approximately 8 miles long and almost 2 miles wide. The damage originated along Broad Street at the Alabama/Georgia state line and swept east into northern sections of the town of Tallapoosa. A secondary surge of wind extended this path eastward along Highway 120 from the northern sections of Tallapoosa to Macedonia Church Road near Haralson County Middle School. Many trees fell onto and damaged homes and other structures. No injuries were reported.
- May 7, 1999Tornado$400,000
National Weather Service narrative
The tornado continued northeast from Carroll county and crossed into Haralson county southwest of Bremen. There was heavy damage to a mobile home dealership in Bremen, where around 35 mobile homes were damaged or destroyed. Debris was tossed across the highway. The tornado continued northeast and did damage at the Maple Creek golf course before lifting. Newspaper accouints said three people in Haralson county were taken to the hospital with fractures.
- Mar 19, 2018Tornado$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
A National Weather Service survey team found that the tornado that struck Jacksonville, AL moved into Georgia as an EF1 with a maximum wind speed of 95 mph and a maximum path width of 400 yards. The tornado entered Georgia northwest of Tallapoosa along Broad Street, snapping and uprooting trees along the road as it moved east for about a mile before ending on Edgar Little Circle between Broad Street and Womack Road. A large Oak tree fell on a home about 1/4 of a mile east of the state line resulting in extensive damage. No injuries were reported. [03/19/18: Tornado #1, County #1/1, EF-1, Haralson, 2018:005].
- Mar 19, 2018Tornado$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
A National Weather Service survey team found that an EF1 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 90 mph and a maximum path width of 500 yards occurred on the west side of the city of Buchanan. The tornado touched down north of the New Vision Church of God cemetery and travelled south southeast snapping and uprooting small trees. The tornado intensified and grew in size as it crossed Highway 120 west of the Highway 27 Business Route, reaching its peak in intensity and width south of the highway along Tallapoosa Street. Several large trees were uprooted with one falling on and destroying a home on Tallapoosa Street, seriously injuring two people inside the home. The tornado continued a…
- Apr 8, 1998Tornado$300,000
National Weather Service narrative
Sight survey by a NWS employee confirmed an F0-F1 tornado. One mobile home was destroyed and 36 other homes, 7 businesses and 2 churches were damaged. Several vehicles were damaged and many trees were downed. There were no reported injuries but 3 families had to move into temporary shelters.The damage path began just inside the Georgia border from Alabama and ended just west of Tallapoosa.
- 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 Carrollton, 12.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1904.
- All-time high
- 103°F4 times, most recently Jul 2, 2012
- All-time low
- −9°FJan 21, 1985
- Warmest night
- 82°F2 times, most recently Jul 3, 1997
- Coldest day
- 16°FJan 21, 1985
- Wettest day
- 7.66 inSep 21, 2009
- Snowiest day
- 8.5 inMar 2, 1942
- Hottest year
- 1997mean 63.5°F
- Coldest year
- 1968mean 59.0°F
- Wettest year
- 201873.42 in
- Driest year
- 195425.65 in
- Snowiest season
- 9.0 in2017-18
Median first snow
January 1
Earliest: November 24, 1950
Median last snow
January 9
Latest: March 14, 1951
53 of 63 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Carrollton (USC00091640), 995 ft elevation, 12.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1904 to October 27, 2026; 98.0% 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.
Federal disaster declarations
18 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 |
| Jan 12, 2021 | Hurricane | DR-4579-GA |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | DR-4501-GA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3464-GA |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | DR-4338-GA |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | EM-3387-GA |
| Feb 26, 2016 | Severe Storm | DR-4259-GA |
| Mar 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-4165-GA |
| Feb 11, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3368-GA |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3218-GA |
| Jan 28, 2000 | Severe Storm | DR-1311-GA |
| Mar 11, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1209-GA |
| Oct 10, 1995 | Hurricane | DR-1071-GA |
| Mar 15, 1993 | Snowstorm | EM-3097-GA |
| Jul 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3044-GA |
| Apr 5, 1974 | Tornado | DR-425-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 Haralson County stands among 159 counties in Georgia and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 24 | 24 / 159 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 3 | 11 / 159 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 8 | 121 / 159 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 0 | — |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 1,081 | 43 / 159 |
| Flood insurance claims | 1 | 129 / 159 |
| Flood insurance paid | $47,000 | 113 / 159 |
| Disaster declarations | 18 | 69 / 159 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 17 | 84 / 159 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 154 | 83 / 159 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 26 | 44 / 159 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $8.8 million | 76 / 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 | 154 | 21 / 159 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 10.6 | 19 / 159 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 1 | 37 / 159 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 0 | — |
Neighbouring counties
| Carroll County | 27 | 12 |
| Cleburne County AL | 21 | 10 |
| Paulding County | 10 | 6 |
| Polk County | 12 | 4 |
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 USC00091640.
- 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.