National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

<-- Return to Tornado Climatology Map

Irwin County, GA

Date Time (LST) F/EF-Scale Length (Miles) Maximum Width (Yards) Fatalities Injuries Property Damage Source*
4/8/1957 400 pm F2 50 100 0 0 n/a G

Skipped SE from near Chula to Harding, River Bend, Gladys, and Lax. A large home was unroofed near Chula. Other homes were shifted there. A barn and a lumber mill were destroyed in the short stretch of path near Douglas.

2/28/1966 900 am F1 0.5 33 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
7/1/1966 730 pm F1 0.3 33 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
5/29/1970 1235 pm F0 0.1 150 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
1/13/1972 430 pm F1 0.3 100 0 0 $2,500 SD, SPC
9/22/2000 200 pm F1 2 50 0 0 $200,000 SD, SPC

An F1 tornado touched down severely damaging a home near U.S. Highway 319, then raced northeast across Highway 32 destroying a home on Tomberlin Lane between Ocilla and Mystic. The tornado damaged several peanut and cotton farms before dissipating. Numerous large trees were uprooted and power lines were toppled. Reported by the Irwin County EMA.

12/24/2002 1010 am F1 0.3 75 0 0 $250,000 SD, SPC

A small tornado briefly touched town which destroyed a mobile home, damaged several barns and uprooted trees. The tornado also hit a mobile home industrial park, where a dozen homes were severely damaged. Reported by the Irwin County Sheriff.

12/28/2005 555 pm F0 0.5 30 0 0 $50,000 SD, SPC

A tornado touched down on Old Whitley Road. The steel beam support from a farm building was blown into a nearby house. The roof of another farm building was ripped off. Numerous trees and power lines were down. Reported by the Irwin County EMA.

4/7/2014 1255 pm EF1 1.93 165 0 0 $70,000 SD

A tornado briefly touched down in Irwin county about 3.3 miles SSW of Ocilla and produced mainly EF0 damage along its path, largely in the form of uprooted trees with some smaller trees snapped. The tornado was at its strongest near the end of its damage path where EF1 damage was noted. A mobile home was knocked several feet off its foundation, but remained upright. Most of the roof was torn off. A large hardwood tree was snapped in half and many others were uprooted. Several out buildings were destroyed and shingles were stripped from the roof of one home. Peak winds were estimated around 105 mph. Monetary damage was estimated.

12/17/2019 1139 am EF2 10.97 400 0 0 $500,000 SD

The initial touchdown occurred in an un-reachable area of Irwin County approximately nine miles west of Ocilla. The survey team relied on radar data to estimate the touchdown location. The first area the damage assessment team could access was along Ponderosa Road just north of Wood Rd . where dozens of pine trees were snapped and a farm had several outbuildings damaged. Damage...consisting of snapped trees, destroyed outbuildings and damaged irrigation machinery...then continued along a widening path heading east-northeast toward the Mystic community. Damage was significant in Mystic. Several homes suffered serious roof loss and a couple brick buildings were nearly destroyed . Debris including concrete chunks was thrown hundreds of yards into a nearby field. There were hundreds of snapped and uprooted trees of all kinds in the area. Damage was well into the EF-2 range here with max winds estimated at 125 mph, and the damage path widened to near 400 yards. Continuous damage...mainly downed trees and damaged barns...persisted along a wide path as the tornado continued moving east-northeast. The next area of significant damage was noted in a neighborhood south of Fitzgerald, Georgia at the intersection of Vo Tech and Old Whitley Crossing Roads . More than a dozen homes suffered major roof damage here with several experiencing complete loss. A couple RVs were rolled over and heavily damaged . The tornado continued moving northeast eventually crossing into Ben Hill county along Highway 319. Several more homes suffered roof damage, many barns were destroyed and hundreds of trees were snapped. The last evidence of damage was to a barn and trees along Partridge Road approximately 2.5 miles east of the Ashton community. Damage cost was estimated.

4/13/2020 501 am EF1 1.92 50 0 0 $0 SD

Brief tornado touched down in western Irwin County. The tornado initially touched down north of Five Bridge Road, crossed Five Bridge Road near Palm Road and ended near Palm Road and Peach Road. Many trees were snapped. The tornado was rated EF1 with max winds around 90 mph.

*Sources

G - Grazulis, T. P., 1993: Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991.  A Chronology and Analysis of Events. Environmental Films, Tornado Project, St. Johsnbury, VT.
SD - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1950-2016: Storm Data. National Climatic Data Center, Asheville, NC.
SPC - Storm Prediction Center Database