Tornadoes · United States · Georgia

Tornadoes in Laurens County, Georgia

36 tornadoes have crossed Laurens County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 5th of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 10. 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
36
Deaths
2
Injuries
10
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, May 11, 2008

The deadliest in Laurens County

  1. EF2, Laurens County, GeorgiaMay 11, 20082 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF2, Laurens and Treutlen counties, GeorgiaApril 5, 2017EF2, 20.2 mi (32 km)
  2. EF2, Laurens and Johnson counties, GeorgiaFebruary 21, 2014EF2, 17.5 mi (28 km)
  3. EF2, Laurens County, GeorgiaMay 11, 2008EF2, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  4. F2, Laurens County, GeorgiaJanuary 13, 1972F2, 11.3 mi (18 km)
  5. EF2, Laurens County, GeorgiaApril 14, 2007EF2, 6.0 mi (10 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 22 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Laurens County. Each year links to every tornado in Georgia that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20241EF0
20231EF0
20224EF1
20191EF1
20181EF0
20174EF2
20151EF1
20141EF2
20111EF1
20101EF0
2008327EF2
200733EF2
20052F1
19962F1
19951F1
19771F1
19721F2
19651F0
19611F1
19562F1
19551F1

Every tornado that crossed Laurens County

36 tornadoes, newest first. 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
March 12, 20268:00 AM EDTEF1Laurens0.8250
March 12, 20268:01 AM EDTEF0Laurens2.6350
May 9, 20241:06 PM EDTEF0Laurens8.6100
March 25, 20234:17 PM EDTEF0Laurens1.5100
April 6, 20227:53 PM EDTEF1Laurens16.4200
April 6, 20227:52 PM EDTEF1Laurens4.9150
April 6, 20227:45 PM EDTEF0Bleckley3.6100
April 5, 20226:30 PM EDTEF1Bleckley1.8250
April 19, 201911:25 AM EDTEF1Laurens4.5200$75,000
April 7, 20186:18 PM EDTEF0Laurens0.750$8,000
May 24, 20172:05 PM EDTEF0Laurens2.3240$25,000
April 5, 20173:38 PM EDTEF2Laurens20.2400$170,000
April 3, 20172:26 PM EDTEF0Wilkinson6.6150$30,000
January 21, 20171:20 PM ESTEF0Laurens2.285$12,000
April 19, 20151:23 PM EDTEF1Laurens11.6300$75,000
February 21, 20148:21 AM ESTEF2Laurens17.5200$540,000
March 26, 20119:36 PM EDTEF1Laurens3.5500$250,000
September 27, 20106:34 PM EDTEF0Laurens0.150$15,000
May 11, 20086:58 AM EDTEF1Laurens0.4200$900,000
May 11, 20086:44 AM EDTEF1Johnson10.15815$16 million
May 11, 20086:36 AM EDTEF2Laurens13.825022$1.4 million
April 15, 20072:05 AM EDTEF1Laurens19.0100$325,000
April 14, 20071:50 AM EDTEF0Laurens5.950$50,000
April 14, 20071:45 AM EDTEF2Laurens6.02003$400,000
December 28, 20054:41 PM ESTF0Laurens0.550$1,000
December 28, 20054:04 PM ESTF1Johnson4.0300$500,000
November 8, 19966:00 AM ESTF1Laurens4.050$50,000
March 6, 199611:45 AM ESTF0Laurens0.110$10,000
May 15, 19956:38 PM EDTF1Laurens1.0123$5,000 to $50,000
July 13, 19775:00 PM EDTF1Laurens1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
January 13, 19722:45 PM ESTF2Laurens11.3200$50,000 to $500,000
June 3, 19653:10 PM GMT-4F0Laurens0.933$500 to $5,000
March 31, 19619:15 AM GMT-5F1Laurens1.033$500 to $5,000
August 31, 19569:00 PM GMT-4F1Laurens0.333$500 to $5,000
August 31, 19565:00 PM GMT-4F0Laurens0.333$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19554:30 PM GMT-5F1Dodge5.250$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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