Wheeler County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Wheeler County: 2.
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. Sep 6, 2004High Wind, Wheeler$375,000
   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…

2. Dec 25, 2006Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wheeler County Sheriff reported that a number of trees and several power lines were down in the Spring Hill area. Minor roof damage was also observed to a few homes in the area.

3. May 24, 2008Thunderstorm Wind$25,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wheeler County 911 Center reported that dozens of trees and power lines were blown down across the northern and central part of the county, including Alamo and Erik. At least eight roads were blocked and closed from downed trees.

4. Feb 4, 1998Flood, Wheeler$20,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Another in a series of "El Nino" influenced storm systems moved from the southwest U.S. into the Gulf of Mexico. The low pressure center tracked across southeast Georgia, then northeastward along the Atlantic seaboard. Rainfall amounts ranged from 2.5 to 4.5 inches over north and central Georgia from the 2nd to the 4th. With the ground nearly saturated from previous similar events, runoff caused widespread flooding over much of central Georgia, especially along and near the Oconee and Ocmulgee river basins. Some floodgates were opened at Lake Sinclair, which also contributed to the flooding. Rivers and creeks rose as much as 20 feet during the event, flooding homes and businesses…

5. Aug 30, 2023Tropical Storm, Wheeler$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency manager reported multiple trees and powerlines down around the city of Glenwood.

6. Dec 24, 1997Flood, Wheeler$15,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4 inches on the 24th fell on already saturated ground in central Georgia. Other showers fell over the area into the 26th. Street flooding was common with some roads damaged and others closed. Runoff caused flooding along the Flint. Ocmulgee, and Oconee rivers in central Georgia. Residents along rivers evacuated their homes in some areas as flood waters threatened. The rivers rose to their highest levels since the 1994 flood, although they were still approximately 10 feet lower than that event. Rivers continued above flood stage for several more days after the rains had ended. Monthly rainfall amounts totaled 8 to 10 inches across much of central Georgia.

7. Apr 3, 2017Thunderstorm Wind$12,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Wheeler County 911 center reported multiple trees blown down across the county.

8. Mar 8, 1998Flood, Wheeler$10,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   From 4 to 8 inches of rain fell over north and central Georgia from the 5th through the 8th. Flooding occurred mainly in low areas and near rivers and creeks from the the runoff as it moved downstream. Numerous roads were closed and some were damaged. An indirect death resulted in Carroll county when a the driver lost control of a vehicle and ran into a flooded creek. A baby was washed from the vehicle into the rushing waters. A dam in Lamar county broke. Homes and businesses sustained water damage in many counties. Families were evacuated in several counties. The governor of Georgia declared a state of emergency in a total of 72 counties in central and south parts of the state.

9. Aug 30, 2023Tropical Storm, Wheeler$10,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Emergency manager reported multiple trees down along Hwy 19 and St Paul Church Road.

10. Jun 11, 2014Thunderstorm Wind$8,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The Wheeler County Emergency Manager reported 15 to 20 trees and several power lines down mainly in a two-square-mile area. One tree fell on a small shelter with minor damage.

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°FJun 28, 1954

All-time low

−2°FJan 21, 1985

Warmest night

81°FJun 27, 1952

Coldest day

20°FDec 24, 1989

Wettest day

7.50 inOct 4, 2026

Snowiest day

3.5 inFeb 26, 1914

Hottest year

1911mean 69.3°F

Coldest year

1958mean 63.1°F

Wettest year

194765.57 in

Driest year

195426.41 in

Station Eastman 1 W (USC00092966), 400 ft elevation, 26.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1891 to October 26, 2026; 96.8% 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 USC00092966.
• 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.