Storm risk in Chatham County, Georgia

FEMA's overall hazard score for Chatham County is 97.42 (Relatively High), 82nd of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 69.15 (Relatively Low), strong wind 80.50 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 77.45 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $3.51 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 37 hail reports in Chatham County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Chatham County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of GA$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $3.51 per $1 million, 2,546th of 3,126 rated counties$3.51Hail2,546th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $1.59 per $1 million, 2,951st of 3,121 rated counties$1.59Strong wind2,951st of 3,121 countiesTornado: $54 per $1 million, 2,378th of 3,144 rated counties$54Tornado2,378th of 3,144 counties
  • Chatham County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Chatham County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in GA
OverallRelatively High 97.4282 of 3,1441 of 159
HailRelatively Low 69.15971 of 3,12628 of 159
Strong windRelatively Moderate 80.50614 of 3,1269 of 159
TornadoRelatively Moderate 77.45710 of 3,12634 of 159

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$222,175$3.51 $13$22 2,546 of 3,126145 of 159
Strong wind$100,783$1.59 $13$20 2,951 of 3,121157 of 159
Tornado$3,422,620$54 $209$199 2,378 of 3,144157 of 159

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Chatham County

  • FEMA expects hail in Chatham County to cost $3.51 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.16 times the U.S. median and 0.26 times the GA county median, ranked 2,546th of 3,126 counties nationally and 145th of 159 in Georgia.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Chatham County to cost $1.59 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.08 times the U.S. median and 0.12 times the GA county median, ranked 2,951st of 3,121 counties nationally and 157th of 159 in Georgia.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Chatham County to cost $54 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.27 times the U.S. median and 0.26 times the GA county median, ranked 2,378th of 3,144 counties nationally and 157th of 159 in Georgia.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $273,300 home, the average yearly loss in Chatham County is about $0.96 for hail and $0.44 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $6.11 and $5.57.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Chatham County meets about 20.0 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1985, the median home in Chatham County is 41 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 68.3% of its 135,983 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 29 of the 37 hail reports in Chatham County (78 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Chatham County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$0.96hail, a year; $6.11 at the U.S. median county rate
$0.44strong wind, a year; $5.57 at the U.S. median county rate
$28hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Chatham County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $222,175 ÷ $63,247,040,652 = 0.0000035. Wind: $100,783 ÷ $63,247,040,652 = 0.0000016. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Chatham County in plain numbers

  • Chatham County scores 97.42 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively High): 82nd of 3,144 rated counties and 1st of 159 in Georgia.
  • Hail scores 69.15 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $222,175 of hail damage to buildings in Chatham County a year, which is $3.51 per $1 million of buildings, 0.16 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 80.50 (Relatively Moderate) with $100,783 of expected yearly building loss in Chatham County: $1.59 per $1 million of buildings, 0.08 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 77.45 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $3,422,620, counting everything exposed, or $54 per $1 million of buildings in Chatham County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Chatham County averages 1.71 hail events and 1.12 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 37 hail reports in Chatham County between 2014 and June 2026, on 12 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 1.75 inches.
  • In Chatham County, FEMA counts buildings worth 63.25 billion dollars and 293,520 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Moderate in Chatham County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 293,520 residents.
  • 1 city in Chatham County is covered on this site: Savannah. 15 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Savannah is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Chatham County ranks 164 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 184 for wind and 173 for tornado.
  • In Chatham County, June is the busiest month with 11 of the 37 reports (30 percent), against 0 reports in December.
  • Chatham County's worst year was 2017, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 8 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 1.00 such days a year, one about every 12.0 months.
  • The median home in Chatham County was built in 1985; 43.7% of its 135,983 housing units date from before 1980, 68.3% from before 2000 and 14.8% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Chatham County at $273,300, and 56.3% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 14,922 single-family building permits were issued in Chatham County from 2014 to 2025, about 109.7 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2025.
  • NOAA lists 9 tornado tracks in Chatham County since 2014; the strongest was an EF2 on May 23, 2017 near Wilmington Is, 7.49 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Chatham County is 91 mph on April 25, 2015 at Garden City.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Richmond County, 113 miles from the centre of Chatham County; its hail score is 81.08.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 21 roofing contractor establishments in Chatham County in 2023, one for every 6,475 homes.

The hail record of Chatham County, year by year

NOAA logged 37 reports in Chatham County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 12 days. That is 1.0 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Chatham County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more024682014: 4 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 3 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 8 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch172018: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.75 inch202021: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch212022: 1 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0.88 inch222023: 7 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch232024: 5 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch242025: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Chatham County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 2 reports2FebMarch: 1 reports1MarApril: 8 reports8AprMay: 9 reports9MayJune: 11 reports11JunJuly: 2 reports2JulAugust: 4 reports4AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 0 reports0OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: June, 11 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20144201 in–
20153201 in–
20178211.75 in–
20185101 in–
20201000.75 in–
20212101.5 in–
20221000.88 in–
20237211.75 in–
20245111.75 in–
20251101 in–

Biggest hail days in Chatham County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
April 5, 20171.75 in5none recordedSavannah Beach
April 26, 20231.75 in3none recordedWilliam Hill
May 24, 20241.75 in3none recordedWilmington Is
February 15, 20211.5 in2none recordedPooler
May 22, 20171 in3none recordedMulberry Grove

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Chatham County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Chatham County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail Savannah
  • 181 to 1.74 in
  • 31.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 1.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

21 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Chatham County

Fastest gusts in Chatham County

DateGustNear
April 25, 201591 mphGarden City
April 25, 201591 mphGarden City
April 25, 201591 mphGarden City
April 25, 201581 mphThunderbolt

Strongest tornado tracks in Chatham County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
May 23, 2017EF27.49 mi0 / 0Wilmington Is
May 4, 2019EF12.2 mi1 / 0Parkersburg
July 27, 2018EF12.35 mi0 / 0Savannah
May 4, 2017EF12.78 mi5 / 0Central Jct

9 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Chatham County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 1.00 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Chatham County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 9.5% of homes9.5%<1940911940s: 4.5% of homes4.5%1940s811950s: 9.5% of homes9.5%1950s711960s: 7.7% of homes7.7%1960s611970s: 12.3% of homes12.3%1970s511980s: 12.9% of homes12.9%1980s411990s: 11.7% of homes11.7%1990s312000s: 17.0% of homes17%2000s212010s: 13.1% of homes13.1%2010s112020+: 1.6% of homes1.6%2020+3

Bars: share of 135,983 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1985
Built before 198043.7%
Built before 200068.3%
Built since 201014.8%
Owner-occupied56.3%
Median home value$273,300
Single-family permits, 2014 to 202514,922
Permits per 1,000 homes109.7

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Chatham County

Roofing firms in Chatham County

Roofing contractor establishments, 202321
Change since 2016+7 (+50%)
Homes per roofing firm6,475
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 2023148

Source for Chatham County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Chatham County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Richmond County, GA113 Relatively Moderate $8.582.44$2113.3928
Lowndes County, GA149 Relatively Low $2.560.73$106.3312
Houston County, GA154 Relatively Low $133.72$106.4713
Bibb County, GA162 Relatively Low $185.05$106.295
Dougherty County, GA185 Relatively Moderate $3.731.06$2716.7015
Clarke County, GA189 Relatively Low $277.58$7.704.8311

More Georgia counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Chatham County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 15 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Savannah 31401 (100%), 31404 (100%), 31405 (100%), 31406 (100%), 31419 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Chatham County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

Start an inspection request

Questions

How high is storm risk in Chatham County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Chatham County an overall score of 97.42 (Relatively High), 82nd of 3,144. Hail scores 69.15 (Relatively Low), strong wind 80.50 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 77.45 (Relatively Moderate).

In Chatham County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 37 for Chatham County between 2014 and June 2026, on 12 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 1.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Chatham County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $273,300: FEMA's estimate is about $0.96 a year for hail and $0.44 for wind, before any deductible, against $6.11 and $5.57 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Chatham County compare with the rest of Georgia?

Per $1 million of buildings Chatham County loses $3.51 to hail a year, against $13 in the median county of the state. Among 159 rated counties it is 28th for hail, 9th for strong wind and 34th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Chatham County?

The median home was built in 1985, 41 years ago, and 68.3% of the 135,983 housing units in Chatham County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Chatham County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Chatham County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Chatham County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Chatham County. Planning-level information about Chatham County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).