Tornadoes · United States · Georgia

Tornadoes in Meriwether County, Georgia

30 tornadoes have crossed Meriwether County since 1950, 11th of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 49. 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
30
Deaths
2
Injuries
49
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Meriwether County

  1. EF3, Meriwether, Spalding and Henry counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 20112 killed

The strongest

  1. F3, Troup, Meriwether, Spalding and Henry counties, GeorgiaDecember 24, 1964F3, 75.4 mi (121 km)
  2. F3, Lee, Harris and Meriwether counties, Alabama and GeorgiaDecember 5, 1954F3, 51.0 mi (82 km)
  3. EF3, Meriwether, Spalding and Henry counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF3, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  4. EF3, Troup and Meriwether counties, GeorgiaMarch 26, 2023EF3, 21.5 mi (35 km)
  5. EF2, Troup and Meriwether counties, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 35.8 mi (58 km)
  6. EF2, Harris, Meriwether and Upson counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF2, 24.5 mi (39 km)
  7. EF2, Meriwether and Pike counties, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 23.4 mi (38 km)
  8. EF2, Meriwether and Pike counties, GeorgiaMarch 18, 2013EF2, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  9. EF2, Troup and Meriwether counties, GeorgiaMay 11, 2008EF2, 3.8 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF1
2023413EF3
20211EF0
20171EF0
20151EF1
20141EF1
20131EF2
201122EF3
20091EF0
20081EF2
20051F0
199427F1
199311F1
19842F1
19821F1
198024F1
19791F1
1974115F1
19731F1
196411F3
195611F1
195417F3

Every tornado that crossed Meriwether County

30 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Georgia.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
December 29, 20244:22 AM ESTEF0Meriwether3.2100$100,000
December 29, 20243:54 AM ESTEF1Meriwether24.6200$6.0 million
March 27, 20237:06 AM EDTEF1Meriwether8.7150
March 26, 20236:49 AM EDTEF3Troup21.55005
January 12, 20233:45 PM ESTEF2Meriwether23.41,500
January 12, 20233:34 PM ESTEF2Troup35.81,0608
August 17, 20214:34 AM EDTEF0Meriwether3.4150$25,000
December 20, 20171:15 PM ESTEF0Meriwether3.2125$30,000
May 26, 20153:41 PM EDTEF1Meriwether9.8350$100,000
October 14, 20144:40 AM EDTEF1Harris5.9200$55,000
March 18, 20136:10 PM EDTEF2Meriwether13.3300$285,000
April 27, 201111:59 PM EDTEF3Meriwether21.78802$25 million
April 27, 201111:55 PM EDTEF2Harris24.51,320$8.5 million
February 18, 20098:30 PM ESTEF0Meriwether0.017$1,000
May 11, 20084:18 AM EDTEF2Troup3.8300$80,000
July 6, 20056:30 PM EDTF0Meriwether0.3100$30,000
March 24, 19948:00 PM ESTF1Meriwether21.0505$50,000 to $500,000
March 24, 19947:50 PM ESTF0Meriwether6.0502$5,000 to $50,000
February 21, 199311:45 PM ESTF1Meriwether12.06001$500,000 to $5 million
April 22, 19843:10 PM ESTF1Meriwether2.010$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19842:20 PM ESTF0Meriwether0.320$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19826:50 PM EDTF1Meriwether0.320$50 to $500
May 25, 19808:00 AM EDTF0Meriwether0.227
April 13, 19804:50 PM ESTF1Harris50.71004$500,000 to $5 million
April 13, 197912:30 PM ESTF1Meriwether1.0100$5,000 to $50,000
November 20, 19747:15 AM ESTF1Meriwether1.010015$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19738:05 PM EDTF1Troup0.150$50 to $500
December 24, 196410:00 PM GMT-5F3Troup75.44001$50,000 to $500,000
December 23, 19566:00 AM GMT-5F1Troup45.31001$500 to $5,000
December 5, 195412:00 PM GMT-6F3Lee to GA51.02007$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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