Upson County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Upson County: 0.
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.

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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Jul 10, 2005Flash Flood$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Upson County Emergency Management Director reported that excessive rain had resulted in several roads being washed out and closed. Even others that were not washed out were under water for many hours. Four roads were washed out, including Old Alabama Road, West County Road, Bradshaw Road, and the bridge over Tobler Creek on Triune Mill Road. A motorist drove his sport utility vehicle onto a portion of Old Alabama Road that had been washed out by Basin Creek. The vehicle was subsequently swept down the creek. The driver of the vehicle was extremely lucky to have been rescued from his vehicle in the swollen creek. He sustained some injuries from the incident. Estimated damages…

2. Sep 6, 2004High Wind, Upson$571,000
   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…

3. Apr 27, 2011Tornado$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that the EF2 tornado that first touched down in northeast Harris county around 1155 pm EDT continued across southern Meriwether and into far northwest Upson county before finally lifting approximately nine miles northwest of Thomaston. The tornado had a path length of just over four miles within Upson county, while the total tornado path length was on the order of 24 miles. The maximum path width was 880 yards or less at this point with maximum winds estimated to be 130 mph. Within Upson county, the tornado traveled through a mostly rural forested area and as such structural…

4. Sep 16, 2004High Wind, Upson$456,000
   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…

5. Apr 13, 2020Tornado$300,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service survey found that an EF3 tornado with maximum wind speeds of 140 mph and a maximum path width of 1200 yards developed south of Thomaston in Upson County near Gordon School Road east of Old Talbotton Road. The tornado moved northeast narrowly missing the densely populated Lincoln Park area but hitting the Southern Crescent Technical College and Raintree Golf and Country Club on Highway 19 with winds of 70 to 85 mph. The tornado intensified as it passed Triune Mill Road on a path parallel to and just south of Yatesville Highway, where homes and cars were damaged from falling trees. As the tornado reached Trice Cemetery Road, it broadened to over 2/3 of a…

6. Sep 11, 2017Tropical Storm, Upson$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Upson County Emergency Manager reported hundreds of trees and power lines blown down across the county. Over 5000 customers lost power for varying periods of time during the storm. A wind gust of 47 mph was measured in Thomaston. Radar estimated between 1.5 and 3.5 inches of rain fell across the county with 3.38 inches measured south of Thomaston. No injuries were reported.

7. Mar 31, 2005Lightning$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Upson County Emergency Manager reported that two homes were struck by lightning. The roof of one home was set on fire and the home was completely destroyed. The other home suffered major damage.

8. May 2, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$250,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Upson county 911 center, and the Thomaston newspaper reported that numerous trees were blown down causing major damage in the city. Several of the trees landed on homes and even some vehicles causing minor to moderate structural damage. Others brought down power lines, telephone lines, and cable TV lines.

9. Oct 12, 2002Flash Flood$225,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Upson county Emergency Management Director reported that thunderstorm rains of five to seven inches in a three hour period resulted in significant flooding in the north central and northeast part of the county. Seven roads were washed out as the result of the heavy rain which washed out bridges and/or culverts on these roads. Sprewell Bluff Road west of Thomaston experienced major damage and was closed indefinitely. Willis Road off Georgia Highway 36 northeast of Thomaston also sustained major damage and was closed indefinitely. There were five other roads in the northern part of the county with minor damage. In addition, an apartment complex just northeast of Thomaston also…

10. Jun 17, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$200,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Upson County 911 Center reported that a thunderstorm downburst resulted in one to two dozen trees being blown down in the Sunset Village area just north of Georgia Highway 74 along and west of Sunnyside Road. One home sustained considerable damage when several trees fell on the structure. A pool house was blown over on Lucille Drive and a flag pole was also bent over.

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

105°F2 times, most recently Jul 1, 2012

All-time low

2°FJan 30, 2014

Warmest night

77°F3 times, most recently Jun 30, 2024

Coldest day

26°FJan 7, 2014

Wettest day

6.44 inOct 4, 1995

Hottest year

2019mean 65.8°F

Coldest year

1997mean 59.5°F

Wettest year

201567.49 in

Driest year

200731.55 in

Station Atlanta (USW00053819), 972 ft elevation, 34.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1994 to October 26, 2026; 99.6% 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 USW00053819.
• 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.