Murray County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Murray County: 9.
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. Jan 22, 2000Ice Storm, Murray$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 12, 2020Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service survey found that an EF2 tornado with maximum winds of 135 mph and a maximum path width of 860 yards occurred in Murray County. The tornado touched down along Mitchell Bridge Road, just northwest of the Indian Trace Golf Course where several trees were snapped. The tornado moved northeast crossing Highway 286 and Twin Lakes Road where a few trees were snapped or uprooted and|minor damage occurred to several homes. The tornado appeared to briefly strengthen around Ellis Circle where there was more notable exterior damage to homes and a greater number of trees uprooted. As the tornado continued northeast crossing Fullers Chapel Road, noticeable…

3. Jul 25, 2001Flash Flood$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Dalton Daily Citizen, and other local newspapers, reported that extensive flooding was caused by up to 3 inches of rain in less than 2 hours. Flooding caused damage to businesses and residences alike. Damages to businesses were concentrated in Chatsworth, where up to twelve stores were flooded in the Murray Plaza Shopping Center. Water was reported to have been 6 inches deep in most of these businesses. Several homes were also flooded in Chatsworth, Eton, and scattered in other areas of the county, especially near the Tennessee border. Ten people had to be evacuated from a flooded mobile home park near the Tennessee border.

4. May 22, 2003Flash Flood$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Murray county 911 center reported that a majority of the roads in the county were flooded out, several were completely inundated with water and were impassable. One family in the county has to be rescued from a flooded home.

5. Sep 26, 2009Lightning$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Daily Citizen of Dalton reported that lightning struck and set the Rock Building on fire. This was the site of the first high school in Murray County. The building was completely destroyed from the fire.

6. Apr 8, 2006Hail$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous reports of hail ranging in size from pennies to quarters were received from the public from Chatsworth, Eton, and north of Ramhurst. One report of golf ball-sized hail was received from the public in Chatsworth. In addition, an amateur radio operator reported nickel-sized hail near Eton and estimated wind gusts at 66 mph.

7. Nov 7, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thunderstorm winds destroyed two chicken houses and damaged two others. The houses contained a total of 92,000 chickens. The roof of a house was blown off and two large trees were blown down. An unconfirmed tornado was reported.

8. Apr 16, 1998Tornado$200,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An apparent tornado touched down briefly, hitting a mobile home park in the Temple Grove, Higdon Road, and Turvey-Nichols Road areas in Cisco. Seven mobile homes were destroyed, 2 received major damage and 6 minor damage. One home had major structural damage and 14 had minor damage. Roofs were blown off houses and trees were scattered like toothpicks. There were no serious injuries, but 6 people were taken to the medical center, where they were treated and released. The intensity, width, and length were estimated.

9. Jun 20, 2002Hail$120,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several amateur radio operators and the public reported that hail, ranging in size from dimes to golf balls, fell from 10 to 12 minutes and accumulated up to four inches deep on the ground in some spots. The hail damaged several cars and roofs of homes. In addition, the hail stripped trees and damaged corn crops in the area.

10. Jul 14, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Daily Citizen of Dalton reported significant damage to trees and power lines in the Chatsworth area from thunderstorm winds. At one residence, nine trees were blown down, one causing minor damage to the roof. Another tree fell across the Mason apartments on Mount Carmel Road. Part of the tree went through the kitchen of one of the apartments. The tree also caused damage to the roof and other structural damage to the building. Two families were forced to relocate as a result of the damage. The strong winds and downed trees also knocked a power pole adjacent to the building down onto the apartments. Elsewhere in the county, at least eight roads were blocked by 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

107°F2 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

−13°FJan 26, 1940

Warmest night

81°FJul 11, 1980

Coldest day

12°FDec 12, 1962

Wettest day

9.49 inSep 5, 2011

Snowiest day

18.5 inMar 13, 1993

Hottest year

2024mean 64.6°F

Coldest year

1969mean 57.2°F

Wettest year

199473.70 in

Driest year

196835.09 in

Snowiest season

22.7 in1992-93

Station Chattanooga Airport (USW00013882), 669 ft elevation, 29.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1938 to October 26, 2026; 100.0% 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 USW00013882.
• 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.