Tornadoes · United States · Georgia

Tornadoes in Spalding County, Georgia

25 tornadoes have crossed Spalding County since 1950, 23rd of the 158 counties in Georgia with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 6 people and injured 72. 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
25
Deaths
6
Injuries
72
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, April 27, 2011

The deadliest in Spalding County

  1. EF2, Spalding, Butts, Jasper and Newton counties, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 20234 killed, 40 injured
  2. 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. EF3 Griffin tornado, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 2023EF3, 31.2 mi (50 km)
  3. EF3, Meriwether, Spalding and Henry counties, GeorgiaApril 27, 2011EF3, 21.7 mi (35 km)
  4. EF2, Spalding, Butts, Jasper and Newton counties, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 125.8 mi (202 km)
  5. EF2, Pike and Spalding counties, GeorgiaJanuary 12, 2023EF2, 21.6 mi (35 km)
  6. EF2, Coweta and Spalding counties, GeorgiaFebruary 18, 2009EF2, 20.4 mi (33 km)
  7. F2, Spalding and Henry counties, GeorgiaNovember 22, 1992F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Spalding County. Each year links to every tornado in Georgia that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF1
20235458EF3
20201EF0
20191EF1
20171EF0
201413EF0
201112EF3
20091EF2
200512F1
20041F0
20001F1
199811F1
199213F2
19871F1
19841F0
198014F1
19791F0
196411F3
19551F0

Every tornado that crossed Spalding County

25 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 21, 20253:39 AM EDTEF1Spalding10.3300
April 7, 20257:38 AM EDTEF0Spalding4.3100
April 7, 20257:22 AM EDTEF1Fayette13.9250
January 12, 20234:27 PM ESTEF2Spalding125.81,400440
January 12, 20234:17 PM ESTEF1Pike10.8800
January 12, 20234:16 PM ESTEF1Pike7.6300
January 12, 20234:13 PM ESTEF2Pike21.61,000
January 12, 20234:10 PM ESTEF3Griffin tornado31.22,20018
January 13, 202012:20 AM ESTEF0Spalding0.350$24,000
April 14, 201911:45 AM EDTEF1Lamar4.3150$220,000
April 3, 201712:35 PM EDTEF0Spalding0.6150$50,000
April 7, 20149:50 PM EDTEF0Spalding0.91503$100,000
April 27, 201111:59 PM EDTEF3Meriwether21.78802$25 million
February 18, 20098:30 PM ESTEF2Coweta20.41,760$1.3 million
August 29, 20057:45 PM EDTF1Spalding1.01002$300,000
September 16, 20044:21 PM EDTF0Spalding0.250$250,000
April 3, 20008:35 PM EDTF1Pike7.550$1.0 million
April 3, 19987:52 PM ESTF1Spalding6.02501$500,000
November 22, 19921:04 PM ESTF2Spalding10.01003$500,000 to $5 million
July 6, 19876:45 PM EDTF1Spalding0.750$5,000 to $50,000
March 28, 19845:15 AM ESTF0Spalding2.030$5,000 to $50,000
April 13, 19804:50 PM ESTF1Harris50.71004$500,000 to $5 million
September 13, 19796:55 PM EDTF0Spalding0.150$50 to $500
December 24, 196410:00 PM GMT-5F3Troup75.44001$50,000 to $500,000
August 22, 19556:00 PM GMT-4F0Spalding3.6400$50 to $500

Nearby

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