Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, January 13, 1972

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, January 13, 1972
Start: 1972-01-13T01:30
End: 1972-01-13T17:45
Location: Georgia

January 13, 1972 · 15 events in 13 counties and zones

12 tornado, 2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 26
Property damage: $5.4 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 15

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

12 tornado, 2 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Marion

When: January 13, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 32.530, -84.600

Tornado, Clay

When: January 13, 2:00 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.5 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 31.780, -85.130

Tornado, Sumter

When: January 13, 3:40 AM CST
Where: Sumter County
Rating: F1
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.150, -84.000

Tornado, Houston

When: January 13, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Houston County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.330, -83.800

Tornado, Mitchell

When: January 13, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Mitchell County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 31.080, -84.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Dooly

When: January 13, 4:00 AM CST
Where: Dooly County
Coordinates: 32.200, -83.780

Tornado, Bleckley

When: January 13, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Bleckley County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 32.380, -84.430

Hail, Bleckley

When: January 13, 5:00 AM CST
Where: Bleckley County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 32.380, -83.400

Tornado, Decatur

When: January 13, 6:45 AM CST
Where: Decatur County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 30.730, -84.650

Tornado, Laurens

When: January 13, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Laurens County
Rating: F2
Path length: 11.3 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 32.500, -83.030

Tornado, Jefferson

When: January 13, 2:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Rating: F3
Path length: 8.6 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 32.870, -82.380

Tornado, Burke

When: January 13, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Burke County
Rating: F3
Path length: 25 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 19 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 32.920, -82.250

Tornado, Irwin

When: January 13, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Irwin County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 31.530, -83.250

Tornado, Screven

When: January 13, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Screven County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 32.670, -81.630

Hail, Screven

When: January 13, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Screven County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 32.700, -81.680

What these are

Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Georgia in 1972 Every state in 1972 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Georgia, 1972

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 9994563, 9994564, 9994565, 9994566, 9995415, 9995416, 9995627, 9995628, 9995629, 9995630, 9995631, 9995632, 9995633, 9995634, 9995635.