Natural disaster risk in Georgia, by county

All 159 counties in Georgia, ranked by FEMA's National Risk Index composite risk score, with each one's highest-rated hazard. Other states

At a glance

0
Very high risk
4
Relatively high risk
12
Relatively moderate risk
53
Relatively low risk
90
Very low risk

Highest overall risk: Chatham County (relatively high, score 97.4). Lowest: Echols County (very low, score 0.5).

Top hazards in Georgia

HazardCounties rated relatively high or very highAverage score
Lightning22 of 15951.0
Tornado13 of 15953.5
Ice storm10 of 15937.6
Hurricane6 of 15970.1
Cold wave6 of 15940.5

All counties, highest risk first

#CountyOverall riskHighest-rated hazard
1 Chatham County Relatively high 97.4 Hurricane (very high)
2 Fulton County Relatively high 95.8 Lightning (very high)
3 Gwinnett County Relatively high 95.4 Lightning (very high)
4 Cobb County Relatively high 94.4 Lightning (very high)
5 DeKalb County Relatively moderate 94.3 Lightning (very high)
6 Richmond County Relatively moderate 87.4 Strong wind (relatively high)
7 Clayton County Relatively moderate 86.7 Tornado (relatively high)
8 Forsyth County Relatively moderate 86.1 Tornado (relatively high)
9 Cherokee County Relatively moderate 85.3 Tornado (relatively high)
10 Hall County Relatively moderate 84.3 Tornado (relatively high)
11 Glynn County Relatively moderate 83.7 Hurricane (relatively high)
12 Liberty County Relatively moderate 83 Hurricane (relatively high)
13 Dougherty County Relatively moderate 82.8 Lightning (relatively high)
14 Floyd County Relatively moderate 82 Tornado (relatively high)
15 Muscogee County Relatively moderate 81.6 Lightning (relatively high)
16 Whitfield County Relatively moderate 81.5 Tornado (relatively high)
17 Henry County Relatively low 79.4 Lightning (relatively high)
18 Bibb County Relatively low 78.5 Lightning (relatively high)
19 Columbia County Relatively low 76.8 Ice storm (relatively high)
20 Decatur County Relatively low 75.9 Lightning (relatively high)
21 Bulloch County Relatively low 75.4 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
22 Lowndes County Relatively low 72.6 Lightning (relatively high)
23 Walker County Relatively low 72 Tornado (relatively high)
24 Carroll County Relatively low 70.5 Tornado (relatively high)
25 Colquitt County Relatively low 70.5 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
26 Houston County Relatively low 70.5 Lightning (relatively high)
27 Paulding County Relatively low 70 Lightning (relatively high)
28 Tattnall County Relatively low 68.4 Hurricane (relatively high)
29 Gilmer County Relatively low 68.1 Landslide (relatively moderate)
30 Gordon County Relatively low 67.2 Drought (relatively high)
31 Clarke County Relatively low 67 Ice storm (relatively high)
32 Bryan County Relatively low 66.6 Hurricane (relatively high)
33 McIntosh County Relatively low 66.6 Hurricane (relatively high)
34 Thomas County Relatively low 66 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
35 Douglas County Relatively low 65.7 Tornado (relatively moderate)
36 Coweta County Relatively low 65.6 Tornado (relatively moderate)
37 Bartow County Relatively low 65.3 Tornado (relatively moderate)
38 Catoosa County Relatively low 64.6 Cold wave (relatively moderate)
39 Polk County Relatively low 64.1 Tornado (relatively moderate)
40 Mitchell County Relatively low 63 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
41 Fayette County Relatively low 61.3 Lightning (relatively high)
42 Troup County Relatively low 59.9 Tornado (relatively moderate)
43 Coffee County Relatively low 59.6 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
44 Effingham County Relatively low 59.1 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
45 Fannin County Relatively low 56.5 Landslide (relatively moderate)
46 Rockdale County Relatively low 56.2 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
47 Tift County Relatively low 56 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
48 Walton County Relatively low 55 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
49 Camden County Relatively low 54.5 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
50 Chattooga County Relatively low 54.4 Tornado (relatively moderate)
51 Putnam County Relatively low 53.3 Drought (relatively moderate)
52 Sumter County Relatively low 53.2 Drought (relatively high)
53 Grady County Relatively low 53 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
54 Union County Relatively low 52.5 Landslide (relatively moderate)
55 Crisp County Relatively low 52.3 Drought (relatively moderate)
56 Murray County Relatively low 51.5 Cold wave (relatively moderate)
57 Newton County Relatively low 50.6 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
58 Laurens County Relatively low 50.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
59 Appling County Relatively low 50.2 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
60 Baldwin County Relatively low 50 Drought (relatively moderate)
61 Ware County Relatively low 49.4 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
62 White County Relatively low 45.7 Cold wave (relatively moderate)
63 Barrow County Relatively low 45.6 Lightning (relatively moderate)
64 Rabun County Relatively low 45.3 Landslide (relatively moderate)
65 Lumpkin County Relatively low 44.9 Lightning (very high)
66 Dodge County Relatively low 44.8 Cold wave (relatively moderate)
67 Wayne County Relatively low 44.6 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
68 Screven County Relatively low 43.9 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
69 Early County Relatively low 43.4 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
70 Toombs County Very low 42.7 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
71 Brooks County Very low 42.1 Lightning (relatively high)
72 Jackson County Very low 41.9 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
73 Spalding County Very low 40.9 Strong wind (relatively moderate)
74 Emanuel County Very low 39.9 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
75 Towns County Very low 39.6 Landslide (relatively moderate)
76 Berrien County Very low 39.3 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
77 Habersham County Very low 38.9 Lightning (relatively moderate)
78 Burke County Very low 37.3 Drought (relatively moderate)
79 Greene County Very low 37.2 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
80 Worth County Very low 36.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
81 Hart County Very low 35.4 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
82 Cook County Very low 34.8 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
83 Pickens County Very low 34.8 Lightning (relatively moderate)
84 Stephens County Very low 33.4 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
85 Dade County Very low 33.2 Tornado (relatively moderate)
86 Franklin County Very low 33.1 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
87 Macon County Very low 32.1 Drought (relatively high)
88 Elbert County Very low 30.8 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
89 Seminole County Very low 29.5 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
90 Lee County Very low 29.4 Drought (relatively moderate)
91 Madison County Very low 28.9 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
92 Jeff Davis County Very low 28.2 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
93 Haralson County Very low 27.6 Wildfire (relatively low)
94 Charlton County Very low 26.7 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
95 Jefferson County Very low 25.8 Drought (relatively moderate)
96 Bleckley County Very low 25.7 Heat wave (relatively moderate)
97 Ben Hill County Very low 25.4 Hurricane (relatively low)
98 McDuffie County Very low 25 Hail (relatively moderate)
99 Washington County Very low 23.8 Drought (relatively moderate)
100 Telfair County Very low 23.5 Hurricane (relatively low)
101 Pierce County Very low 22.7 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
102 Peach County Very low 22.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
103 Dawson County Very low 21.9 Lightning (relatively moderate)
104 Evans County Very low 21.9 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
105 Harris County Very low 20.8 Lightning (relatively moderate)
106 Miller County Very low 20.8 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
107 Clinch County Very low 20.7 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
108 Bacon County Very low 20.6 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
109 Butts County Very low 20.5 Strong wind (relatively moderate)
110 Morgan County Very low 19.4 Drought (relatively low)
111 Oconee County Very low 19.4 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
112 Meriwether County Very low 19.2 Drought (relatively moderate)
113 Monroe County Very low 18.7 Hurricane (relatively low)
114 Brantley County Very low 18.3 Hurricane (relatively moderate)
115 Pulaski County Very low 18.2 Drought (relatively moderate)
116 Randolph County Very low 17.2 Drought (relatively moderate)
117 Upson County Very low 17.1 Hurricane (relatively low)
118 Turner County Very low 16.6 Strong wind (relatively moderate)
119 Terrell County Very low 16.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
120 Jones County Very low 16.4 Heat wave (relatively low)
121 Calhoun County Very low 16.3 Drought (relatively moderate)
122 Dooly County Very low 14.9 Drought (relatively moderate)
123 Irwin County Very low 13.6 Lightning (relatively moderate)
124 Wilcox County Very low 13.2 Drought (relatively moderate)
125 Wilkes County Very low 12.9 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
126 Heard County Very low 12.8 Drought (relatively low)
127 Banks County Very low 12.4 Hurricane (relatively low)
128 Hancock County Very low 11.9 Hurricane (relatively low)
129 Candler County Very low 11.6 Hurricane (relatively low)
130 Jenkins County Very low 10.8 Drought (relatively moderate)
131 Taylor County Very low 10.1 Drought (relatively moderate)
132 Baker County Very low 9.8 Drought (relatively moderate)
133 Johnson County Very low 9.3 Drought (relatively moderate)
134 Clay County Very low 8.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
135 Twiggs County Very low 8.5 Drought (relatively moderate)
136 Quitman County Very low 8.3 Drought (relatively high)
137 Jasper County Very low 8.1 Drought (relatively low)
138 Oglethorpe County Very low 8.1 Hurricane (relatively low)
139 Long County Very low 8 Hurricane (relatively low)
140 Pike County Very low 8 Drought (relatively low)
141 Lamar County Very low 7.8 Hurricane (relatively low)
142 Montgomery County Very low 7.8 Hurricane (relatively low)
143 Atkinson County Very low 7.3 Hurricane (relatively low)
144 Lanier County Very low 6.8 Hurricane (relatively low)
145 Marion County Very low 6.7 Drought (relatively moderate)
146 Wheeler County Very low 6.4 Hurricane (relatively low)
147 Stewart County Very low 5.9 Hurricane (relatively low)
148 Lincoln County Very low 5.5 Ice storm (relatively moderate)
149 Warren County Very low 5.3 Hurricane (relatively low)
150 Wilkinson County Very low 4.6 Drought (relatively low)
151 Crawford County Very low 3.9 Drought (relatively moderate)
152 Talbot County Very low 2.9 Drought (relatively low)
153 Webster County Very low 2.4 Drought (relatively moderate)
154 Treutlen County Very low 2.1 Hurricane (relatively low)
155 Chattahoochee County Very low 2 Lightning (relatively moderate)
156 Glascock County Very low 0.9 Drought (relatively low)
157 Taliaferro County Very low 0.7 Ice storm (relatively low)
158 Schley County Very low 0.6 Drought (relatively low)
159 Echols County Very low 0.5 Hurricane (relatively low)

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

Which county in Georgia has the highest natural disaster risk?

Chatham County has the highest composite risk score in Georgia in FEMA's National Risk Index: 97.4, rated relatively high.

Which county in Georgia has the lowest natural disaster risk?

Echols County has the lowest composite risk score in Georgia: 0.5, rated very low. A low score means lower modelled risk compared with other US counties, not no risk.

What natural disasters is Georgia most at risk from?

Across Georgia, the hazards rated highest in the most counties are lightning, tornado, ice storm, according to FEMA's National Risk Index. Each county page lists all 18 hazards.

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