Georgia, 1983

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, May 16, 1983

May 16, 1983 · NWS AT · 17 events in 13 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado, 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
0
Property damage
$1.1 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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

11 thunderstorm wind, 6 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Muscogee

When
May 16, 3:45 AM CST
Where
Muscogee County
Coordinates
32.480, -84.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Calhoun

When
May 16, 4:30 AM CST
Where
Calhoun County
Coordinates
31.430, -84.730

Tornado, Monroe

When
May 16, 5:00 AM CST
Where
Monroe County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
30 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
32.870, -84.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Early

When
May 16, 5:10 AM CST
Where
Early County
Coordinates
31.380, -84.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Early

When
May 16, 5:30 AM CST
Where
Early County
Coordinates
31.380, -84.720

Thunderstorm Wind, Dougherty

When
May 16, 6:15 AM CST
Where
Dougherty County
Coordinates
31.530, -84.080

Tornado, Worth

When
May 16, 6:20 AM CST
Where
Worth County
Rating
F1
Path length
15 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.530, -83.980

Tornado, Turner

When
May 16, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Turner County
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.620, -83.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Dougherty

When
May 16, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Dougherty County
Coordinates
31.550, -84.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Dougherty

When
May 16, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Dougherty County
Coordinates
31.500, -84.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Grady

When
May 16, 6:30 AM CST
Where
Grady County
Coordinates
30.880, -84.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Decatur

When
May 16, 6:45 AM CST
Where
Decatur County
Coordinates
30.900, -84.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Brooks

When
May 16, 7:15 AM CST
Where
Brooks County
Coordinates
30.780, -83.550

Tornado, Turner

When
May 16, 7:30 AM CST
Where
Turner County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.800, -83.480

Tornado, Ben Hill

When
May 16, 8:00 AM CST
Where
Ben Hill County
Rating
F1
Path length
3 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
31.800, -83.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Telfair

When
May 16, 8:35 AM CST
Where
Telfair County
Coordinates
31.950, -82.950

Tornado, Lowndes

When
May 16, 9:15 AM CST
Where
Lowndes County
Rating
F1
Path length
0.3 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
30.800, -83.300

What these are

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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1983Every state in 1983This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Georgia, 1983

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: 9997178, 9997179, 9997180, 9997181, 9997182, 9997183, 9997184, 9993575, 9993576, 9993719, 9993720, 9993721, 9993722, 9993723, 9993724, 9993725, 9993726.