Tornadoes · United States · Georgia
Tornadoes in Pickens County, Georgia
14 tornadoes have crossed Pickens County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 70th of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 5.4 years. They have killed 18 people and injured 162. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 14
- Deaths
- 18
- Injuries
- 162
- F4 and above
- 2
- Worst on record
- F4, April 3, 1974
The deadliest in Pickens County
The strongest
- F4, Bartow, Floyd, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 1994
- F4 Jasper tornado, GeorgiaApril 3, 1974
- F3, Bartow, Gordon, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaMarch 27, 1994
- EF3, Bartow, Cherokee and Pickens counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 2011
- F2, Cherokee, Pickens and Dawson counties, GeorgiaNovember 11, 2002
- F2, Dawson, Hall and Pickens counties, GeorgiaApril 15, 1965
- F2, Pickens County, GeorgiaApril 5, 1985
Every year with a tornado
The 11 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Pickens County. Each year links to every tornado in Georgia that year.
Every tornado that crossed Pickens County
14 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 28, 2026 | 10:29 PM EDT | EF0 | Pickens | 2.0 | 300 | |||
| July 20, 2023 | 5:23 PM EDT | EF1 | Pickens | 1.9 | 100 | |||
| July 20, 2023 | 5:13 PM EDT | EF0 | Pickens | 2.5 | 100 | |||
| September 5, 2011 | 3:11 PM EDT | EF1 | Cherokee | 28.4 | 440 | 1 | $20 million | |
| April 27, 2011 | 9:20 PM EDT | EF3 | Bartow | 23.1 | 880 | 25 | $23 million | |
| April 10, 2009 | 6:04 PM EDT | EF1 | Pickens | 3.4 | 440 | $25,000 | ||
| November 11, 2002 | 1:48 AM EST | F2 | Cherokee | 23.0 | 100 | 13 | $7.6 million | |
| March 27, 1994 | 2:01 PM EST | F3 | Bartow | 40.0 | 2,613 | 9 | 70 | $5 million to $50 million |
| March 27, 1994 | 12:14 PM EST | F4 | Bartow | 49.0 | 1,760 | 3 | 20 | $5 million to $50 million |
| April 5, 1985 | 7:35 PM EST | F2 | Pickens | 5.0 | 100 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| March 24, 1975 | 8:30 AM EDT | F1 | Floyd | 36.1 | 150 | 3 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 3, 1974 | 8:30 PM EDT | F4 | Jasper tornado | 17.7 | 200 | 6 | 30 | $500,000 to $5 million |
| April 15, 1965 | 8:00 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Dawson | 11.5 | 33 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| February 10, 1959 | 5:15 PM GMT-5 | F1 | Pickens | 2.0 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Pickens CountyThe forecast for Pickens CountyThe live radar over Pickens 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.