Hurricane Georges (1998)

Basin

North Atlantic

Dates

September 15, 1998 to October 1, 1998

Peak strength

Category 4, 135 kt (155 mph)

Lowest pressure

937 mb (27.67 inHg)

Landfall

Yes

Accumulated cyclone energy

39.4

Fastest the center moved

20 kt (23 mph)

Identifier

AL071998

Radar at KBYX as it neared land, Sep 25, 15:30 UTC

The sources count different things and are not added together.

Landfall points the US agencies flagged in the best track. The nearest town is named from the site’s gazetteer, not from the report.

NOAA’s Storm Events database, the record National Weather Service offices compile months after a storm, as compiled March 2026.

Deaths

1 (1 direct, 0 indirect)

Injuries

24

Property damage

$3.0 billion

Crop damage

$321 million

Events recorded

161 in 42 reports from 7 states and marine areas

State by state

What was recorded

92 hurricane (typhoon), 28 flash flood, 18 high wind, 12 tornado, 5 thunderstorm wind, 2 waterspout, 2 funnel cloud, 1 storm surge/tide, 1 heavy rain.

12 tornadoes and 2 waterspouts recorded in the United States, strongest first.

The Weather Prediction Center attributes 585 rain gauge totals over the contiguous United States to this storm. The wettest reached 38.46 inches (977 mm).

WPC’s storm rainfall file, 1900 to 2020, compiled by David Roth.

From the Storm Events narratives, unedited.

The greatest effects of the storm surge occurred in the early afternoon during and after the eye of Hurricane Georges passed over Key West. Storm surge heights were as follows: Key West to Boca Chica Key 3 to 4 feet, Near Big Coppets Key 4 to 6 feet. Near Sugarloaf Key 3 to 4 feet. Between Cudjoe Key to Big Pine Key 5 to 6 feet. From Bahia Honda Key to Grassy Key 4 to 5 feet. The remainder of the Florida keys experience 2 to 3 feet. The storm surge affected primarially the southside of the islands. Roadways were completely underwaters. Docks, piers and seawalls destroyed. Most of the damage which resulted from Hurricane Georges was caused by the storm surge.

Monroe, Florida · Storm Surge/Tide · Sep 25, 17:00 UTC

Heavy rains from slow moving Hurricane Georges caused widespread flooding across the county. Rainfall estimates were between fifteen and twenty-five inches across the county. Most of the roads in the county had some form of flood damage. Many roads were closed for several days because of the heavy rains. Schools were closed for two to three days because of the many washed out secondary roads. Because of heavy rains, river flooding was reported throughout the county. The Big Coldwater Creek at Milton reached a reading of 19.86 feet on September 29. The Blackwater River at Baker reached a reading of 25.57 feet on September 29, which was near the record of 25.61 feet in June of 1970. Areas and communities hardest hit by river flooding were Milton and vicinity, Paradise Island, Harold, and Ward Basin.

Santa Rosa, Florida · Flash Flood · Sep 27, 15:00 UTC

Heavy rains from Hurricane Georges caused major flooding across the county. Rainfall totals of fifteen to twenty inches were estimated across the county. Many roads throughout the county had to be closed because of flooding. Schools were closed for two days because of washed out secondary roads. At Flomaton, major routes US 31, US 29 and AL 113 were closed by flooding. US 31 and US 29 in Brewton were closed by flooding. Downtown Brewton was also flooded. The heavy rainfall also caused major river flooding in the county. The Conecuh River at Brewton crested at 23.5 feet on October 4 which was 6.5 feet above flood stage. The Big Escambia Creek at Flomaton crested at 20.4 feet on September 30. This was higher than the March flood of this year.

Escambia, Alabama · Flash Flood · Sep 27, 17:30 UTC

Rainfall estimates from Hurricane Georges were between fifteen and eighteen inches across the county. The heavy rainfall caused several roads across the county to be closed due to high water. Schools were closed for two to three days because of flooded or washed out secondary roads. Several bridges were also closed due to undermining from the high water. The heavy rainfall caused small streams to rise rapidly and a few homes were flooded by the high water. The heavy rains also caused river flooding across the county. Although nowhere near a record, both the Pascagoula and the Escatawpa rivers rose to near flood levels.

George, Mississippi · Flash Flood · Sep 28, 15:30 UTC

Heavy rains from Hurricane Georges caused widespread flooding around the county. Rainfall estimates across the county were between ten and twenty inches. Many roads had to be closed for several hours because of high water. Schools were closed for two to three days because of flooding on secondary roads. Several bridges around the county had to be closed until they could be checked for safety. Runoff from the heavy rains caused rivers and streams to rise in the county, but most stayed below dangerous levels and caused only minor flooding.

Stone, Mississippi · Flash Flood · Sep 28, 15:30 UTC

Rainfall estimates from Hurricane Georges were between fifteen and twenty inches throughout the county. Many roads had to be closed for several hours because of high water. Schools were closed for three days because of damage done to secondary roads around the county. The heavy rainfall also caused many bridges around the county to be closed because of undermining by the high water. The heavy rains caused many of the rivers across the county to rise to near or above record levels. Bayou Sara reached 9.8 feet on September 28. This was above the previous unofficial record of 7.84 feet in April of 1979. The Fowl River rose to 10.27 feet and was considered to be a twenty-five year flood. This reading was well below the reading with Hurricane Danny last year.

Mobile, Alabama · Flash Flood · Sep 28, 17:00 UTC

Hurricane Georges moved slowly onshore near Biloxi, Mississippi the morning of the 28th. Although it had weakened to a tropical depression by the 29th, it still posed a threat to west central and southwest Georgia as spiral bands of convection triggered funnel clouds and heavy rain. Newspaper and numerous public reports relayed through the sheriff's office, as well as sight survey by an NWS employee indicated funnels were observed over the east part of Sumter county from southeast of DeSoto to Andersonville, and others were in central and west parts of the county near Americus and Plains. Little or no lightning and thunder were observed with the weather system.

Sumter, Georgia · Funnel Cloud · Sep 29, 20:30 UTC

Mobile homes were blown off their foundations and siding was ripped from the sides of industrial buildings. Twelve mobile homes were damaged, and one with major damage, because a tree fell on it. One vehicle was damaged. Large trees and power lines were blown down. The damaged was associated with the remnants of Hurricane Georges.

Appling, Georgia · Thunderstorm Wind · Sep 30, 01:20 UTC

• Tropical Storm AlexNorth Atlantic · 1998Tropical Storm45 kt · 1002 mb
• Hurricane BonnieNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 3100 kt · 954 mb
• Tropical Storm CharleyNorth Atlantic · 1998Tropical Storm60 kt · 1000 mb
• Hurricane DanielleNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 290 kt · 960 mb
• Hurricane EarlNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 285 kt · 964 mb
• Tropical Storm FrancesNorth Atlantic · 1998Tropical Storm55 kt · 990 mb
• Tropical Storm HermineNorth Atlantic · 1998Tropical Storm40 kt · 999 mb
• Hurricane IvanNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 180 kt · 975 mb
• Hurricane JeanneNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 290 kt · 969 mb
• Hurricane KarlNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 290 kt · 970 mb
• Hurricane LisaNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 165 kt · 995 mb
• Hurricane MitchNorth Atlantic · 1998 · 19,325 deathsCat 5155 kt · 905 mb
• Hurricane NicoleNorth Atlantic · 1998Cat 175 kt · 979 mb

A best track is the record a warning agency settles on after the storm, not what it said at the time: position, maximum sustained wind and central pressure every six hours, revised against every observation that came in later. Category is the Saffir-Simpson scale, which runs from Category 1 at 64 kt to Category 5 at 137 kt and reads wind only, so it says nothing about surge or rain. Accumulated cyclone energy adds up the square of the wind through the storm's life, so it counts strength and duration together.

Storm history from NOAA NCEI’s International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS), which merges the official best track of every warning agency. Live storms, cones, watches and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center. Archived radar from NOAA’s Level II archive.

• Tropical cyclone report, National Hurricane Center
• Wikipedia article: Hurricane Georges