States › Georgia › DeKalb County

DeKalb County, Georgia

Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.

FIPS 13089 · 757,718 residents (2021) · 268 sq mi · dominant hazard Wind

Hail · 127Tornado · 16Flood · 64Wind · 292Winter · 1

DeKalb County within Georgia. Dots: HailTornadoFloodWind event locations in the kept record. Boundaries: US Census Bureau.

NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.

The NCEI record lists 521 events for DeKalb County, Georgia, between 1950 and 2026; damaging wind account for the largest share.

That is 194.6 events per 100 square miles, above the Georgia figure of 98.3, and 6.9 per 10,000 residents against 52.5 statewide.

12 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 2 deaths and 15 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $69M.

FEMA has designated the county in 17 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Winter Storm (emergency, 24 Jan 2026).

National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 1,998 claims since 1978, of which 1,449 were paid, totalling $29M (about $20K per paid claim). FEMA counts 2,331 residential flood policies in force.

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Relatively Moderate" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Moderate" ($153M a year across 18 hazards).

21 tropical storm or hurricane tracks in the HURDAT2 record passed within 100 miles of the county's centre at tropical-storm strength or more, 0 of them within 50 miles at hurricane strength.

12events, last 12 monthsto 30 Jun 2026

521events since 19502 deaths, 15 injuries recorded

17disaster declarationslast 24 Jan 2026

1,998NFIP flood claims$29M paid

Compared with Georgia and the United States

Measure	DeKalb County	Georgia	US
Recorded events since 1950	521	56,743	1,977,440
Events per 100 square miles	194.6	98.3	56.0
Events per 10,000 residents	6.9	52.5	59.6
Events in the last 12 months	12	1,541	62,008
Deaths recorded by NCEI	2	447	26,435
Property damage (NCEI estimates)	$69M	$8.7B	$575B
NFIP claims per 1,000 residents	2.6	2.3	8.1
Average paid NFIP claim	$20K	$29K	$43K
Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years	13.4	10.3	16.1

County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.

Events by decade

Tornado: 1

Hail: 1Tornado: 2Wind: 3

Hail: 2Tornado: 4Wind: 8

Hail: 10Tornado: 1Wind: 33

Hail: 38Tornado: 1Flood: 4Wind: 51Lightning: 1

Hail: 49Tornado: 1Flood: 29Wind: 33Lightning: 12Other: 2

Hail: 22Tornado: 2Flood: 21Wind: 54Lightning: 2Other: 2

Hail: 5Tornado: 4Flood: 10Wind: 110Winter: 1Lightning: 2

11950s61960s141970s441980s951990s1262000s1032010s1322020s

Recorded events in DeKalb County by decade and hazard group. HailTornadoFloodWindWinterLightningOther NCEI recorded only tornadoes, hail and thunderstorm wind before 1996.

Trend: 271 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 194 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.

Events by type

Wind292

Hail127

Flood64

Lightning17

Tornado16

Other4

Winter1

Hazard	Events	Deaths	Share of state's events
■ Wind	292	—	1.1%	detail
■ Hail	127	—	1.4%	detail
■ Flood	64	—	2.0%	detail
■ Lightning	17	1	1.3%
■ Tornado	16	1	0.7%	detail
■ Other	4	—	0.4%
■ Winter	1	—	0.0%

Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.

Largest recorded events

Date	Event type	Group	Magnitude	Property damage	Crop damage	Deaths	Injuries	Geography
8 Apr 1998	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$25M	—	1	—	County
17 May 2004	Lightning	Lightning	—	—	—	1	1	County
27 Jun 2004	Lightning	Lightning	—	$25K	—	—	4	County
9 Aug 2012	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$75K	—	—	2	County
30 Jun 1966	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$250K	—	—	1	County
23 Aug 2007	Lightning	Lightning	—	$150K	—	—	1	County
6 Mar 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	—	$30K	—	—	1	County
4 Jun 1950	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	1	County
14 May 1976	Tornado	Tornado	F1	$25K	—	—	1	County
11 Jun 2018	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$15K	—	—	1	County
6 Feb 2020	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	58 mph	$15K	—	—	1	County
10 Nov 1984	Thunderstorm Wind	Wind	0 mph	—	—	—	1	County
21 Sep 2009	Flood	Flood	—	$6.1M	—	—	—	County
16 Sep 2004	Flash Flood	Flood	—	$5.0M	—	—	—	County
21 Feb 2005	Hail	Hail	2.00 in	$4.6M	—	—	—	County
12 Jun 2007	Hail	Hail	2.50 in	$4.5M	—	—	—	County
24 Apr 2021	Hail	Hail	1.75 in	$4.0M	—	—	—	County
21 Sep 2009	Flood	Flood	—	$3.2M	—	—	—	County
8 May 1978	Tornado	Tornado	F2	$2.5M	—	—	—	County
18 Feb 2009	Hail	Hail	1.75 in	$2.5M	—	—	—	County

Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.

Federal disaster declarations

Declared	Number	Type	Incident	Title	Programs
24 Jan 2026	EM-3642	Emergency	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
26 Sep 2024	EM-3616	Emergency	Tropical Storm	Hurricane Helene	Public assistance
29 Mar 2020	DR-4501	Major disaster	Biological	Covid-19 Pandemic	Individual assistance, Public assistance
13 Mar 2020	EM-3464	Emergency	Biological	Covid-19	Public assistance
15 Sep 2017	DR-4338	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
8 Sep 2017	EM-3387	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Irma	Public assistance
11 Feb 2014	EM-3368	Emergency	Severe Ice Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
24 Sep 2009	DR-1858	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
20 Mar 2008	DR-1750	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Tornadoes	Individual assistance
5 Sep 2005	EM-3218	Emergency	Hurricane	Hurricane Katrina Evacuation	Public assistance
18 Sep 2004	DR-1554	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Ivan	Individual assistance, Public assistance
28 Jan 2000	DR-1311	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm	Public assistance
11 Mar 1998	DR-1209	Major disaster	Severe Storm	Severe Storms And Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance
10 Oct 1995	DR-1071	Major disaster	Hurricane	Hurricane Opal	Individual assistance, Public assistance
15 Mar 1993	EM-3097	Emergency	Snowstorm	Severe Snowfall, Winter Storm	Public assistance
20 Jul 1977	EM-3044	Emergency	Drought	Drought	Public assistance
4 Apr 1973	DR-370	Major disaster	Tornado	Tornadoes & Flooding	Individual assistance, Public assistance

Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.

Flood insurance claims

197820022026

NFIP claims by year of loss in DeKalb County, 1978 to 2026 (hover for the amount paid).

Claims since 19781,998

Paid claims1,449

Total paid$29M

Average paid claim$20K

Repetitive-loss properties15613 severe

Residential policies in force2,3311.1% of 220,247 structures

Year of loss	Claims	Paid claims	Amount paid	Average paid
2025	7	5	$115,767	$23,153
2024	102	77	$2,665,771	$34,620
2023	10	4	$41,814	$10,454
2022	4	0	$0	—
2021	20	10	$46,074	$4,607
2020	73	58	$1,446,551	$24,941
2019	23	10	$121,067	$12,107
2018	28	20	$251,215	$12,561
2017	46	31	$499,932	$16,127
2016	21	6	$97,283	$16,214
2015	70	44	$443,453	$10,078
2014	15	7	$88,578	$12,654
2013	61	36	$1,001,946	$27,832
2012	9	1	$3,631	$3,631
2011	4	0	$0	—
2010	29	18	$177,791	$9,877
2009	468	391	$12,146,325	$31,065
2008	11	3	$18,570	$6,190
2007	2	1	$288	$288
2006	10	6	$75,698	$12,616
2005	37	29	$342,415	$11,807
2004	244	211	$5,013,860	$23,762
2003	111	85	$1,200,720	$14,126
2002	8	3	$17,432	$5,811
2001	10	3	$7,415	$2,472

OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).

National Risk Index

Overall riskRelatively Moderatescore 94.3 of 100

Expected annual loss$153MRelatively Moderate

Social vulnerabilityRelatively Low

Community resilienceRelatively Low

Hazard (NRI)	Risk rating	Expected annual loss
Inland flooding	Relatively High	$96,629,454
Tornado	Relatively High	$14,772,062
Earthquake	Relatively Moderate	$13,168,205
Cold wave	Relatively High	$9,087,061
Hail	Relatively High	$6,224,998
Heat wave	Relatively Moderate	$3,880,286
Lightning	Very High	$3,700,834
Strong wind	Relatively High	$3,158,787
Ice storm	Very High	$1,734,414
Hurricane	Relatively Low	$756,492
Winter weather	Relatively Moderate	$109,408
Wildfire	Very Low	$32,465
Landslide	Relatively Low	$12,653

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.

Hurricane and tropical storm passes

Tracks within 100 miles21

Tracks within 50 miles5

Hurricane strength within 50 miles0

Storm	Year	Closest approach	Max wind while within 100 mi
Helene	2024	73 mi	69 mph
Michael	2018	90 mi	58 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1949	96 mi	63 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1940	91 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1932	95 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1915	48 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1912	24 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1907	27 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1903	51 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1902	33 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1901	100 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1901	89 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1898	74 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1898	59 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1896	53 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1893	32 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1889	70 mi	52 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1887	81 mi	40 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1882	53 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1859	57 mi	46 mph
Unnamed Atlantic storm	1852	75 mi	46 mph

HURDAT2 best-track positions at tropical-storm strength (34 kt) or more, measured from the county's Census centre point; through the 2025 season. Distance from a track is not the same as the extent of the storm's wind, rain or surge.

ZIP codes with flood claims

30033 234
30319 196
30341 186
30345 164
30032 159
30030 133
30083 121
30329 113
30306 99
30340 83
30084 78
30338 77
30034 61
30087 53
30088 43
30307 41
30038 35
30316 31
30058 27
30360 23
30035 20
30294 15
30021 14
30317 12
30072 8

ZIP codes whose NFIP claims carry this county's code, with the number of claims. Five or more claims are needed for a ZIP page to be indexed.

Questions and answers

How often does it hail in DeKalb County, GA?

NCEI records 127 hail events in DeKalb County since 1950, in 37 different years; that is about 1.6 recorded events a year. 16 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.

Has DeKalb County had a tornado?

Yes. NCEI records 16 tornadoes in DeKalb County since 1950, 3 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 1.

When was the last federal disaster declaration for DeKalb County?

24 Jan 2026: Severe Winter Storm, a emergency declaration for winter storm. The county appears in 17 declarations since 1953.

How many flood insurance claims have been filed in DeKalb County, and how much was paid?

1,998 NFIP claims since 1978, 1,449 of them paid, for $29M in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.

Is DeKalb County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?

FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Relatively Moderate" for overall risk, "Relatively Moderate" for expected annual loss, "Relatively Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively Low" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.

How does DeKalb County compare with the rest of Georgia?

194.6 recorded events per 100 square miles against 98.3 statewide, and 2.6 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 2.3. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.

Provenance

Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.