Tornadoes · United States · Georgia

Tornadoes in Cherokee County, Georgia

31 tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County since 1950, 10th of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 187. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
31
Deaths
12
Injuries
187
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, March 27, 1994

The deadliest in Cherokee County

  1. F3, Bartow, Gordon, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 19949 killed, 70 injured
  2. F4, Bartow, Floyd, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 19943 killed, 20 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Bartow, Floyd, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 1994F4, 49.0 mi (79 km)
  2. F4, Cobb and Cherokee counties, GeorgiaNovember 22, 1992F4, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  3. F3, Bartow, Gordon, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 1994F3, 40.0 mi (64 km)
  4. EF3, Bartow, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF3, 23.1 mi (37 km)
  5. F3, Cherokee County, GeorgiaMarch 21, 1962F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  6. F2, Paulding, Cobb, Cherokee and Forsyth counties, GeorgiaApril 15, 1956F2, 46.8 mi (75 km)
  7. F2, Cherokee, Pickens and Dawson counties, GeorgiaNovember 11, 2002F2, 23.0 mi (37 km)
  8. F2, Cobb and Cherokee counties, GeorgiaApril 4, 1989F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  9. F2, Cherokee County, GeorgiaApril 5, 1985F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  10. F2, Cherokee County, GeorgiaApril 11, 1962F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cherokee County. Each year links to every tornado in Georgia that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF0
20231EF0
20211EF1
20201EF1
20141EF0
201322EF1
2011226EF3
20101EF0
200912EF1
200814EF1
200434F1
20031F1
2002113F2
20001F1
199431290F4
1992146F4
19891F2
19851F2
19841F1
19821F1
19731F1
19651F2
19622F3
19561F2

Every tornado that crossed Cherokee County

31 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 20, 202512:09 AM EDTEF0Cherokee2.0150
April 1, 20237:35 AM EDTEF0Cherokee2.575
December 29, 202112:19 AM ESTEF1Cherokee0.5100
April 12, 20201:32 AM EDTEF1Cherokee0.7100$250,000
January 11, 20147:37 AM ESTEF0Cherokee2.910$3,000
June 13, 20137:30 PM EDTEF1Cobb12.9200$363,000
June 13, 20137:00 PM EDTEF1Cherokee8.5752$60,000
September 5, 20113:11 PM EDTEF1Cherokee28.44401$20 million
April 27, 20119:20 PM EDTEF3Bartow23.188025$23 million
October 27, 20103:36 PM EDTEF0Cherokee0.875$425,000
April 19, 200911:00 PM EDTEF1Cherokee1.58802$5.0 million
May 20, 20086:35 PM EDTEF1Cherokee5.91,7604$46 million
September 16, 20045:55 PM EDTF1Cherokee1.04004$300,000
July 14, 20046:43 PM EDTF0Cherokee0.150$1,000
July 14, 20046:14 PM EDTF0Cherokee0.250$1,000
May 6, 200312:56 PM EDTF1Cherokee1.050$10,000
November 11, 20021:48 AM ESTF2Cherokee23.010013$7.6 million
April 3, 20003:00 AM EDTF1Cherokee7.0100$1.1 million
June 29, 199410:00 AM EDTF0Cherokee1.550$5,000 to $50,000
March 27, 19942:01 PM ESTF3Bartow40.02,613970$5 million to $50 million
March 27, 199412:14 PM ESTF4Bartow49.01,760320$5 million to $50 million
November 22, 199210:44 AM ESTF4Cobb20.086746$5 million to $50 million
April 4, 19893:20 PM EDTF2Cobb6.0150$500,000 to $5 million
April 5, 19858:05 PM ESTF2Cherokee3.0100$500,000 to $5 million
May 7, 19841:30 AM EDTF1Cherokee8.033$5,000 to $50,000
January 4, 19822:35 AM ESTF1Cherokee0.120$50,000 to $500,000
August 20, 19735:00 PM EDTF1Cherokee0.350$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19652:30 AM GMT-4F2Cherokee0.533$5,000 to $50,000
April 11, 19628:30 AM GMT-5F2Cherokee1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
March 21, 19623:20 AM GMT-5F3Cherokee10.033$50,000 to $500,000
April 15, 19566:30 PM GMT-5F2Paulding46.867$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Cherokee CountyThe forecast for Cherokee CountyThe live radar over Cherokee CountyEvery county in Georgia

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.