Lumpkin County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by NASA (1).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Lumpkin$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…

2. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An aerial survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City confirmed that the supercell thunderstorm which had already spawned several tornadoes across Alabama and two in northwest and north central Georgia, including Polk, Floyd, Bartow, and Pickens counties, spawned yet a third tornado in the Peachtree City, Georgia county warning area. This tornado was an EF2 and touched down approximately 2.5 miles west of Turners Corner or the junction of U.S. Highways 129 and 19. The tornado tracked approximately 5.6 miles across northeast Lumpkin county, crossing U.S. Highways 19/129 approximately 1.6 miles north of Turners Corner and then moving toward…

3. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Lumpkin$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…

4. Jun 16, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Lumpkin County Emergency Management Director reported that a significant thunderstorm downburst had tracked across Lumpkin county causing extensive damage. Wind gusts were measured at the 911 Center in Dahlonega at 79 mph during this event. More than 200 trees were blown down or uprooted across the county. The downed trees and wind gusts caused extensive damage to property. Several homes sustained minor to moderate damage. Damage also occurred to two schools, a 6th grade academy and the Mount Education Center. Both sustained roof and awning damage. Four businesses also suffered structural damage. Several roads across the county were blocked from downed trees. More than 3000…

5. Nov 7, 1996Tornado$400,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A severe thunderstorm developed in extreme south Lumpkin county about two miles southwest of highway 60. The storm tracked northeast across a small "handle" of Hall county, then back into Lumpkin county and on into White county. The storm apparently had an embedded vortex (F0-F1) that occasionally touched down along this path. In Lumpkin county, numerous trees were downed and buildings were destroyed. Four mobile homes and three single-family homes were destroyed. A dozen other mostly older homes were damaged. A dozen people suffered very minor injuries.

6. Sep 11, 2017Tropical Storm, Lumpkin$375,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Lumpkin County Emergency Manager reported hundreds of trees and numerous power lines blown down across the county. Thirty homes were damaged and 2 were destroyed, mainly due to falling trees. At one point 5 out of 6 electric utility companies serving the county reported no service to the county and the 6th company had only one leg operational. Communication lines and cell towers were also affected. A wind gust of 41 mph was measured near Auraria in the southern portion of the county. Radar estimated between 1.5 and 4 inches of rain fell across the county with 3.6 inches measured in the far eastern portion of the county. No injuries were reported.

7. Apr 11, 2013Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF-1 tornado touched down in Lumpkin County along Gold Ridge Road where numerous trees were snapped or uprooted. One small outbuilding had its roof blown off and two homes sustained minor roof damage. The tornado tracked northeast crossing Evergreen Court where trees were snapped and uprooted. The tornado reached maximum intensity, around 105 MPH, shortly after and along Bridgestone Way where it paralleled the road. Numerous hardwood and softwood trees were snapped and uprooted. Some of the trees fell onto homes. Twelve homes were damaged on Bridgestone Way, with two of them destroyed by trees. The tornado then continued…

8. Apr 10, 2009Hail$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The public observed golf ball-sized hail west of Dahlonega and penny to quarter-sized hail west of Georgia Highway 9 in the Mill Creek Station Subdivision near the Dawson county line.

9. Aug 15, 2003Lightning$175,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Dahlonega Nugget reported that lightning struck a Poplar tree near a home on Ridge Point Road, setting an adjacent shed and the home on fire. The home was in the Frogtown area of extreme eastern Lumpkin county near the White county line. The home was a total loss. Another lightning strike struck and killed a bull in a nearby pasture.

10. May 4, 2021Tornado$150,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A National Weather Service survey found that an EF0 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 85 MPH and a maximum path width of 350 yards touched down just northwest of the intersection of Long Branch Road and Robinson Road, snapping several trees. The tornado moved east snapping and uprooting additional large pine trees along Red Oak Flats Road then tracked over mainly rural terrain for about a mile before causing additional damage along Pony Lake Road near Old Leathers Ford Road. More concentrated tree damage was then seen along Meeks Road and Old Dahlonega Highway where a number of larger trees were snapped or uprooted around several residences. Between Meeks Road and Pecks Road,…

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

107°F3 times, most recently Jul 29, 1952

All-time low

−8°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985

Warmest night

82°FAug 4, 1928

Coldest day

9°FFeb 14, 1899

Wettest day

6.60 inOct 2, 2012

Snowiest day

11.0 inMar 3, 1942

Hottest year

1998mean 63.7°F

Coldest year

1968mean 56.7°F

Wettest year

200980.25 in

Driest year

190420.96 in

Snowiest season

18.7 in1959-60

Station Gainesville (USC00093621), 1,170 ft elevation, 17.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1891 to September 10, 2026; 94.1% 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 USC00093621.
• 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.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• 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.