Atlanta, GA Tornado History — 128 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Atlanta, GA had?
Atlanta has had 128 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 8 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Atlanta?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Atlanta was an EF0 on March 31, 2025.
When is tornado season in Atlanta?
March is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Atlanta, with 20 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Atlanta
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 45 total, averaging 2.3 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Atlanta since December 29, 2025
These is a preliminary report, not confirmed tornadoes. It has not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and is not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Atlanta. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Atlanta
10 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Atlanta since 1950, across 7 events. 526 injuries have been reported across all events. 1975 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F3 on March 24, 1975, which caused 3 fatalities along a 14.8-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Atlanta
About Tornadoes in Atlanta
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Atlanta's tornado history reads like long silences broken by loud days: quiet stretches across the Piedmont, then an outbreak sweeping the metro in hours. The city sits on rolling upland at the southern end of the Appalachian foothills, where humid air flowing north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cold fronts sliding down off the mountains. That terrain funnels moisture into the region while doing little to weaken the supercells and squall lines riding ahead of strong upper-level troughs.
The loud days leave clear marks. An F3 tore a 75.4-mile path through the area on Christmas Day, December 25, 1964. On March 31, 1973, an F2 traveled 72.4 miles, killed 2 people, injured 100, and caused 275 million dollars in damage. An F3 on March 24, 1975, killed 3 people and injured 152. On November 22, 1992, an F4 injured 46 along a 20-mile track. An EF2 struck on March 15, 2008, killing 1 person and injuring 30 as it cut across the heart of the city.
Tornado threats here concentrate in March, April, and May, when jet-stream energy still dips far enough south to meet rich Gulf moisture, though the storms of December 1964 and November 1992 show late fall and winter can turn dangerous too. The local record, compiled from NOAA Storm Prediction Center data, feeds the ratings, tracks, and event list shown elsewhere on this page.