Long County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Long County: 3.
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.

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. Mar 24, 2011Wildfire, Long$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Georgia Forestry Commission reported that the Elim Church Road Wildfire started near Ludowici, Georgia on March 24, and burned 4035 acres prior to being contained on March 31. The wildfire led to evacuations of the Long County State Prison, a Long County Nursing Home, and numerous residences. Several shelters were set up for those forced to evacuate. The wildfire also resulted in the temporary closure of Highway 84 from near Jesup, Georgia to Elim Church Road near Ludowici, Georgia, the temporary closure of Long County Schools, as well as the destruction of 10 structures, 3 of which were occupied homes.

2. Apr 9, 1998Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Tornado touched down in the Rye Patch Community where 3 people died (all were in mobile homes).Ten mobile homes were destroyed and two others were damaged along with a roof blown off a block house. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped off above the ground.

3. Sep 11, 2017Tropical Depression, Long$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Long County Emergency Management reported multiple trees down across the county due to strong winds associated with Hurricane Irma. One tree came down on power lines on South Macon Street in Ludowici.

4. Oct 27, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A county official reported numerous trees and powerlines down on Highway 196. A tree also fell onto a car at the intersection of Flowers Road and Highway 196 with one person sustaining minor injuries.

5. Oct 27, 2009Tornado$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Long county emergency manager reported shingle damage to two homes about 55 yards apart from each other along with trees and power lines down near the intersection of Flowers Road and Highway 196. Shingle damage was found on the northeast side of both home structures, thus indicating a tornadic circulation. A report of a tornado along with shingle and tree damage led to a confirmed EF0 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 75 to 85 miles per hour. The path of the tornado was brief with an estimate of a couple hundred feet in length. Monetary damage was estimated at $15,000. No deaths or injuries were associated with the tornado.

6. Jul 1, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law Enforcement reported on tree down on top of a house along Cottage Street. One woman was trapped inside with unknown injuries.

7. Oct 27, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A spotter reported 3 trees down with 1 tree down on a vehicle 3 miles north of Donald, Georgia.

8. Jun 29, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$7,500
   National Weather Service narrative

   Law enforcement reported a tree down on a car at a residence along Hall Road one mile north of Ludowici, Georgia.

9. May 19, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$7,500
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Ludowici Police Department reported numerous trees and powerlines down in downtown Ludowici.

10. Mar 8, 2008High Wind, Long$5,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several power outages and numerous trees were reported down across Long County.

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

110°FJul 15, 1986

All-time low

0°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

88°FAug 5, 2002

Coldest day

26°FJan 21, 1985

Wettest day

12.10 inOct 5, 2005

Snowiest day

6.0 inJan 3, 2018

Hottest year

2019mean 70.5°F

Coldest year

1968mean 65.6°F

Wettest year

199167.16 in

Driest year

199032.89 in

Station Fort Stewart (USC00093538), 92 ft elevation, 9.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1964 to September 30, 2026; 93.1% 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 USC00093538.
• 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.