Twiggs County
Population 7,597 (2025) 359 sq mi
Twiggs County has recorded 23 tornadoes since 1950, 28th most of 159 counties in Georgia; the most recent was on April 6, 2025.
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 195023
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger53
At a glance
The record for Twiggs County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.
Strongest tornado
F3
April 30, 1953, 2.0 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
Cat. 1
Hurricane Helene, 2024, 15.4 miles away
Tornadoes
About one every 3.3 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
April 30, 1953
F3, 2.0 mile path
10 yards wide; 1 killed along the whole path.
Deadliest
April 5, 1957
2 killed, F2
5 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Sunday, April 6, 2025
EF1, 9.2 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Apr 6, 2025 | EF1 | 9.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 27, 2023 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 6, 2022 | EF0 | 3.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 2022 | EF1 | 12.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 2021 | EF0 | 2.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 3, 2019 | EF1 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF1 | 7.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 3, 2017 | EF1 | 5.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 21, 2017 | EF0 | 4.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1, 2016 | EF1 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1, 2016 | EF0 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 17, 2014 | EF1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF1 | 24.8 | 0 | 0 |
| May 11, 2008 | EF2 | 18.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 23, 1983 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 16, 1976 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 20, 1963 | F2 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 |
| Jan 6, 1962 | F1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 24, 1961 | F2 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 19, 1959 | F2 | 6.6 | 2 | 0 |
| Apr 5, 1957 | F2 | 75.0 | 5 | 2 |
| Apr 30, 1953 | F2 | 0.5 | 3 | 1 |
| Apr 30, 1953 | F3 | 2.0 | 2 | 1 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Twiggs County: 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.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
21 passed within 50 miles since 1851; 1 at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
September 27, 2024
Helene, Category 1
15.4 miles at closest approach, winds near 77 mph.
Most recent
September 27, 2024
Helene, Category 1
15.4 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
| Helene | 2024 | 15.4 | Category 1 |
| Idalia | 2023 | 84.3 | Tropical storm |
| Elsa | 2021 | 64.4 | Tropical storm |
| Nestor | 2019 | 34.1 | Post-tropical |
| Michael | 2018 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Irma | 2017 | 65.1 | Tropical storm |
| Hermine | 2016 | 81.2 | Tropical storm |
| Earl | 1998 | 41.4 | Tropical storm |
| Kate | 1985 | 56.7 | Tropical storm |
| Alma | 1966 | 91.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1965 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Dora | 1964 | 54.6 | Tropical storm |
| Cleo | 1964 | 80.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1957 | 87.0 | Tropical storm |
| Flossy | 1956 | 41.9 | Post-tropical |
| Florence | 1953 | 63.3 | Post-tropical |
| King | 1950 | 76.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1949 | 25.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1947 | 63.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1946 | 88.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1941 | 27.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1940 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1935 | 58.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1929 | 50.7 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1926 | 61.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1924 | 86.0 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1924 | 99.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1917 | 32.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 87.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1915 | 61.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1914 | 89.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1912 | 79.6 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1912 | 60.7 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 79.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1907 | 92.4 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 91.3 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1902 | 57.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 16.8 | Post-tropical |
| Unnamed | 1901 | 5.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 13.8 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1898 | 0.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1896 | 18.2 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1894 | 59.6 | Category 1 |
| Unnamed | 1893 | 42.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1889 | 12.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1888 | 92.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1886 | 60.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1886 | 11.5 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1885 | 79.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1882 | 32.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1881 | 31.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1877 | 38.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1877 | 99.4 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1873 | 98.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1871 | 85.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1871 | 72.7 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1860 | 51.0 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1859 | 54.3 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1856 | 20.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 57.9 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1852 | 12.1 | Tropical storm |
| Unnamed | 1851 | 14.4 | 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
No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 39 days
Heavy smoke on 4 days in 2023, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
9.8 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
8 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 29 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 $1,563 paid.
Flood events since 1996
- Flood3
- Heavy Rain2
- Flash Flood1
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.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 103 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.
103
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
35
Months in extreme drought
7%
Share of all months, severe or worse
33
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
September 1925
−5.53, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
20 months
June 2011 to January 2013.
Latest month
September 2026
−1.58, mild drought
Last severe month: September 2019.
- 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 4.5 in 1914.
13
Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973
5
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
March 5, 1914
Magnitude 4.5
Near Madison, Georgia; 41.9 miles away.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
December 6, 2009
Magnitude 3.2
4 km WNW of Deepstep, Georgia; 24.7 miles away.
Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
| Mar 5, 1914 | 4.5 | 41.9 |
- 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
322 events in the National Weather Service record, 270 of them since 1996.
25
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
1
Hail, 2 inches or larger
88
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
11
Winter weather events since 1996
12
Heat events since 1996
14
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
March 17, 1965
2.50 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
May 2, 2003
85 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 3 | 0 |
| Dense fog and smoke | 2 | 0 |
Costliest events since 1996
- May 11, 2008Tornado$4.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the same thunderstorm that earlier spawned the destructive EF2 tornado that tracked across Bibb county into western Twiggs county, shortly thereafter spawned yet another EF0 to EF1 tornado across central and east central Twiggs county. The tornado, which initially touched down as an EF0 tornado just east-southeast of Fitzpatrick, briefly strengthened to an EF1 tornado as it moved east, then sporadically fluctuated between EF1 and EF0 intensity as it continued on an almost due eastward track into Wilkinson county, crossing into Wilkinson county about 4 1/3 miles…
- Sep 6, 2004High Wind, Twiggs$900,000
National Weather Service narrative
High wind damage, associated with Tropical Storm Frances, is listed below, in alphabetical order by county for those counties that "high wind" criteria was either met or assumed to be met.Baldwin: The Georgia Emergency Management Agency reported that extensive and widespread wind damage was observed. Many trees and power lines were down throughout the county and many parts of the county were expected to be without power for up to four days as a result. In addition, four homes suffered major damage and five suffered minor damage. One man was injured and taken to a local hospital when a tree fell on his mobile home. Four to five inches of rain was also reported throughout the…
- Apr 3, 2017Tornado$150,000
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 150 yards touched down along Highway 96 just south of Jeffersonville in far eastern Twiggs County. The tornado moved east directly across the Robins AFB WSR-88D radar location snapping a few softwood trees but not damaging to the radar tower. The tornado continued its track |east-southeast where it did its greatest amount of damage along US Highway 80. In this area there was roof damage to the Reece Funeral Home and several air conditioning units on the main roof were moved several feet. A few metal support cables on power poles were also broken. A nearby…
- Apr 5, 2011Thunderstorm Wind$150,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Twiggs County Emergency Management Director and the 911 Center reported that dozens of trees and power lines were down from Dry Branch to Jeffersonville, with a few other trees and power lines down in other parts of the county as well. The hardest hit areas were in Dry Branch and Jeffersonville. In Dry Branch, multiple trees were down on Georgia Kaoline Road. One large tree was down on a home in Dry Branch with people trapped inside the structure. In Jeffersonville, more than a dozen trees were down just within the city limits.
- Apr 1, 2016Tornado$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A National Weather Service survey team found an EF-1 tornado with maximum winds of 95 MPH touched down between Moore Road and I-16 where it damaged two manufactured homes, one significantly with the majority of the roof lifted and partial collapse of the front exterior wall. Several trees surrounding the homes were snapped or uprooted. The tornado continued northeast crossing I-16 where a 300 yard swath of trees were down on either side of the interstate. Just west of the Wilkinson County line the tornado caused significant damage along State Highway 112, or Main Street, with two storage trailers sustaining major damage and several trees snapped or uprooted. The tornado then…
- Sep 11, 2017Tropical Storm, Twiggs$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
The news media reported many trees and power lines blown down across the county. Many customers were without electricity for varying periods of time. Radar estimated between 2 and 5 inches of rain fell across the county with 4.08 inches measured near Danville. No injuries were reported.
- Jan 28, 2005Winter Storm, Twiggs$100,000
National Weather Service narrative
A significant and fairly prolonged winter storm/ice storm affected nearly all of North and Central Georgia from the evening of Friday January 28th to late morning on Sunday January 30th. The winter storm was a result of a very strong and very cold Arctic surface high pressure system located across the Mid-Atlantic states and an upper-level disturbance moving across the region from the west. North of a line from La Grange, to Thomaston, to Sandersville, the precipitation fell mostly as a mixture of sleet and freezing rain, with typical accumulations of one-half inch glaze ice and one to two inches of sleet. Some areas in North Central and Northeast Georgia experienced significant…
- Aug 14, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$60,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Jefferson County 911 Center and Amateur radio operators reported trees down between Interstate 16 and Jeffersonville. A tree fell on a house on Charlie Floyd Road.
- Dec 28, 2005Hail$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
The public and the 911 center reported that a large swath of hail tracked across the county from near Bullard in the west to near Jeffersonville in the east. The public reported half-dollar to golf ball-sized hail in Jeffersonville and the Twiggs County 911 Center reported ping pong to golf ball-sized hail between Bullard and Dry Branch.
- Jan 2, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$50,000
National Weather Service narrative
The Twiggs County 911 Center reported that a number of trees were down in the extreme north part of the county near the Jones county line, about five miles northeast of Dry Branch. One tree had fallen through the roof of a home.
- 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 Macon Middle Ga Regional Airport, 13.8 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1948.
- All-time high
- 108°F3 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012
- All-time low
- −6°FJan 21, 1985
- Warmest night
- 79°F8 times, most recently Jul 25, 2010
- Coldest day
- 25°F2 times, most recently Jan 21, 1985
- Wettest day
- 10.25 inJul 5, 1994
- Snowiest day
- 11.0 inFeb 9, 1973
- Hottest year
- 2019mean 67.3°F
- Coldest year
- 1968mean 62.2°F
- Wettest year
- 201372.67 in
- Driest year
- 195426.05 in
- Snowiest season
- 16.5 in1972-73
Median first snow
February 6
Earliest: November 24, 1950
Median last snow
February 8
Latest: March 13, 1993
28 of 47 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Macon Middle Ga Regional Airport (USW00003813), 343 ft elevation, 13.8 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 99.9% 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
17 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Winter Storm, January 24, 2026.
| Jan 24, 2026 | Winter Storm | EM-3642-GA |
| Sep 30, 2024 | Hurricane | DR-4830-GA |
| Sep 26, 2024 | Tropical Storm | EM-3616-GA |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | DR-4501-GA |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3464-GA |
| Oct 14, 2018 | Hurricane | DR-4400-GA |
| Oct 10, 2018 | Hurricane | EM-3406-GA |
| Sep 15, 2017 | Hurricane | DR-4338-GA |
| Sep 8, 2017 | Hurricane | EM-3387-GA |
| Mar 6, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-4165-GA |
| Feb 11, 2014 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3368-GA |
| May 23, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1761-GA |
| Sep 5, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3218-GA |
| Sep 24, 2004 | Hurricane | DR-1560-GA |
| Mar 11, 1998 | Severe Storm | DR-1209-GA |
| Jul 7, 1994 | Tornado | DR-1033-GA |
| Jul 20, 1977 | Drought | EM-3044-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 Twiggs County stands among 159 counties in Georgia and 3,143 in the United States.
| Tornadoes since 1950 | 23 | 28 / 159 |
| Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger | 1 | 40 / 159 |
| Tropical cyclones within 50 mi | 21 | 79 / 159 |
| Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi | 1 | 75 / 159 |
| Wildfire acres since 1984 | 0 | — |
| Flood insurance claims | 1 | 129 / 159 |
| Flood insurance paid | $1,563 | 131 / 159 |
| Disaster declarations | 17 | 86 / 159 |
| Flood events since 1996 | 6 | 147 / 159 |
| Hail and wind events since 1996 | 161 | 77 / 159 |
| Winter storm events since 1996 | 11 | 78 / 159 |
| Reported damage since 1996 | $6.4 million | 87 / 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 | 103 | 140 / 159 |
| Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years | 9.8 | 63 / 159 |
| Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 1900 | 1 | 37 / 159 |
| Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 1973 | 13 | 3 / 159 |
Neighbouring counties
| Bibb County | 24 | 20 |
| Bleckley County | 20 | 29 |
| Houston County | 26 | 25 |
| Jones County | 13 | 16 |
| Laurens County | 34 | 35 |
| Wilkinson County | 14 | 23 |
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 USW00003813.
- 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.