Georgia, 1989

Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, May 5, 1989

May 5, 1989 · NWS ATL · 34 events in 27 counties and zones

28 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 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
26
Property damage
$2.8 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
34

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

28 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Troup

When
May 5, 1:00 PM CST
Where
Troup County
Coordinates
33.030, -85.070

Thunderstorm Wind, Harris

When
May 5, 1:15 PM CST
Where
Harris County
Coordinates
32.870, -84.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Meriwether

When
May 5, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Meriwether County
Coordinates
33.030, -84.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Fulton

When
May 5, 1:45 PM CST
Where
Fulton County
Coordinates
33.770, -84.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Clayton

When
May 5, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Clayton County
Coordinates
33.520, -84.350

Thunderstorm Wind, Spalding

When
May 5, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Spalding County
Coordinates
33.250, -84.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Gwinnett

When
May 5, 1:55 PM CST
Where
Gwinnett County
Coordinates
33.850, -84.020

Thunderstorm Wind, De Kalb

When
May 5, 1:55 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Coordinates
33.780, -84.300

Thunderstorm Wind, De Kalb

When
May 5, 2:10 PM CST
Where
De Kalb County
Coordinates
33.800, -84.200

Thunderstorm Wind, Butts

When
May 5, 2:13 PM CST
Where
Butts County
Coordinates
33.300, -84.170

Tornado, Hall

When
May 5, 2:20 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
200 yd
Injuries
11 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
34.280, -83.800

Thunderstorm Wind, Upson

When
May 5, 2:25 PM CST
Where
Upson County
Coordinates
32.870, -84.330

Hail, Butts

When
May 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Butts County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -84.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Newton

When
May 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Newton County
Coordinates
33.570, -83.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Lamar

When
May 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Lamar County
Coordinates
33.080, -84.100

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
May 5, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
33.630, -83.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Hall

When
May 5, 2:35 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Coordinates
34.300, -83.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Hall

When
May 5, 2:40 PM CST
Where
Hall County
Coordinates
34.380, -83.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan

When
May 5, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Morgan County
Coordinates
33.630, -83.470

Hail, Jasper

When
May 5, 2:59 PM CST
Where
Jasper County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -83.680

Tornado, Stephens

When
May 5, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Stephens County
Rating
F2
Path length
6 mi
Path width
300 yd
Injuries
15 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$2.5 million
Coordinates
34.550, -83.320

Thunderstorm Wind, Clarke

When
May 5, 3:15 PM CST
Where
Clarke County
Coordinates
33.930, -83.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin

When
May 5, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Franklin County
Coordinates
34.380, -83.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Rabun

When
May 5, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Rabun County
Measured
64 kt (74 mph)
Coordinates
34.870, -83.400

Hail, Putnam

When
May 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Putnam County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.320, -83.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Oconee

When
May 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Oconee County
Coordinates
33.830, -83.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Hart

When
May 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Hart County
Coordinates
34.370, -82.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Elbert

When
May 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Elbert County
Coordinates
34.130, -82.870

Hail, Baldwin

When
May 5, 4:02 PM CST
Where
Baldwin County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.080, -83.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond

When
May 5, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Richmond County
Coordinates
33.400, -82.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When
May 5, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Coordinates
33.530, -82.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Columbia

When
May 5, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Columbia County
Coordinates
33.670, -82.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Richmond

When
May 5, 5:20 PM CST
Where
Richmond County
Coordinates
33.480, -81.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Laurens

When
May 5, 5:55 PM CST
Where
Laurens County
Coordinates
32.530, -82.900

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.
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

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1989Every state in 1989This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Georgia, 1989Warnings in Georgia, May 1989

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: 9994963, 9994964, 9994965, 9994966, 9994967, 9994968, 9994969, 9994970, 9994971, 9994972, 9994973, 9994974, 9994975, 9994976, 9994977, 9994978, 9994979, 9994980, 9994981, 9994982, 9994983, 9994984, 9994985, 9994986, 9994987, 9994988, 9994989, 9994990, 9994991, 9996122, 9994641, 9996123, 9994642, 9994643.