Tornadoes · United States · Georgia

Tornadoes in Early County, Georgia

40 tornadoes have crossed Early County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 2nd of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 23. None was rated F4 or 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
40
Deaths
2
Injuries
23
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, January 9, 2024

The deadliest in Early County

  1. F1, Calhoun and Early counties, GeorgiaJanuary 13, 20052 killed, 5 injured

The strongest

  1. EF2, Early and Calhoun counties, GeorgiaJanuary 9, 2024EF2, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  2. EF2, Early County, GeorgiaJune 14, 2023EF2, 18.9 mi (30 km)
  3. EF2, Early County, GeorgiaJanuary 2, 2017EF2, 10.9 mi (17 km)
  4. F2, Miller and Early counties, GeorgiaApril 5, 1982F2, 8.0 mi (13 km)
  5. F2, Early County, GeorgiaDecember 5, 1954F2, 6.4 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Early County, GeorgiaJanuary 2, 2017EF2, 4.4 mi (7 km)
  7. EF2, Early County, GeorgiaJanuary 2, 2017EF2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Early and Miller counties, GeorgiaDecember 5, 1954F2, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  9. EF2, Early County, GeorgiaFebruary 15, 2021EF2, 1.8 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Early County, GeorgiaNovember 23, 1961F2, 0.9 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Early County. Each year links to every tornado in Georgia that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20251EF0
20241EF2
20231EF2
20222EF1
202155EF2
20191EF0
20173EF2
20161EF1
20151EF1
20121EF0
20071EF0
2005125F1
20043F0
20031F1
2002110F1
19971F1
198211F2
19741F1
19731F1
19721F0
19671F1
19621F1
19613F2
19571F1
19561F0
195422F2

Every tornado that crossed Early County

40 tornadoes, newest first. 3 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Georgia. The 2 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
January 25, 20261:52 PM CSTEF1Houston to GA8.8300
March 12, 20265:43 AM EDTEF1Early6.50
April 7, 20256:46 AM EDTEF0Early7.450$5,000
January 9, 20249:46 AM ESTEF2Early21.7800$376,000
June 14, 20232:04 PM EDTEF2Early18.9700$250,000
April 5, 20223:15 PM EDTEF1Early4.950
April 5, 20223:15 PM EDTEF1Early7.150$50,000
June 19, 20211:31 PM EDTEF1Early29.0400$3,000
April 24, 20219:01 AM EDTEF0Early4.475
April 24, 20218:59 AM EDTEF1Early7.0150$75,000
March 18, 20217:44 AM EDTEF0Early3.150
February 15, 20214:38 PM ESTEF2Early1.86005$500,000
December 17, 20197:30 AM ESTEF0Early0.450
January 2, 20179:34 PM ESTEF2Early4.4500$100,000
January 2, 20179:18 PM ESTEF2Early10.91,000$500,000
January 2, 20179:12 PM ESTEF2Early4.3400$500,000
February 23, 201612:07 AM ESTEF1Early2.2350
April 19, 20159:47 AM CDTEF1Houston to AL, GA38.7500$155,000
March 23, 20123:20 PM EDTEF0Early3.525$5,000
December 15, 20075:55 PM ESTEF0Early3.875$30,000
January 13, 20055:58 PM ESTF1Calhoun3.010025$260,000
September 15, 20045:16 PM EDTF0Early2.050$10,000
September 15, 20044:55 PM EDTF0Early1.050$20,000
September 15, 20044:40 PM EDTF0Early0.550$10,000
June 30, 20038:00 PM EDTF1Early2.075$120,000
December 24, 20026:45 AM CSTF1Henry to GA33.015010$2.8 million
October 26, 199711:50 AM ESTF1Early1.0123$100,000
April 5, 19824:00 PM ESTF2Miller8.01001$500,000 to $5 million
January 20, 19747:00 PM EDTF1Early0.110$5,000 to $50,000
December 29, 19739:00 PM ESTF1Early0.110$500 to $5,000
November 13, 19729:00 PM ESTF0Early0.510$500 to $5,000
May 7, 196710:00 AM GMT-4F1Early13.330$500 to $5,000
January 5, 196211:00 PM GMT-5F1Early1.0800$500 to $5,000
November 23, 19615:30 AM GMT-5F2Early0.933$500 to $5,000
November 23, 19615:30 AM GMT-5F0Early0.533$50 to $500
November 23, 19615:30 AM GMT-5F0Early0.333$50 to $500
November 8, 19579:20 AM GMT-5F1Early25.733$5,000 to $50,000
January 30, 19564:00 PM GMT-5F0Early0.117under $50
December 5, 19545:30 PM GMT-5F2Early2.7100$5,000 to $50,000
December 5, 19542:30 PM GMT-5F2Early6.42502$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Early CountyThe forecast for Early CountyThe live radar over Early 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.