Storm risk in Clarke County, Georgia

FEMA's overall hazard score for Clarke County is 66.95 (Relatively Low), 1,040th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 78.75 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 57.12 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 79.42 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $27 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 11 hail reports in Clarke County from 2014 to June 2026.

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

Clarke 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: $27 per $1 million, 1,424th of 3,126 rated counties$27Hail1,424th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $7.70 per $1 million, 2,389th of 3,121 rated counties$7.70Strong wind2,389th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $177 per $1 million, 1,688th of 3,144 rated counties$177Tornado1,688th of 3,144 counties
  • Clarke 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 Clarke County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in GA
OverallRelatively Low 66.951,040 of 3,14431 of 159
HailRelatively Moderate 78.75669 of 3,12614 of 159
Strong windRelatively Moderate 57.121,349 of 3,12643 of 159
TornadoRelatively Moderate 79.42648 of 3,12629 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$632,593$27 $13$22 1,424 of 3,12634 of 159
Strong wind$183,012$7.70 $13$20 2,389 of 3,121128 of 159
Tornado$4,204,246$177 $209$199 1,688 of 3,144109 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 Clarke County

  • FEMA expects hail in Clarke County to cost $27 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.19 times the U.S. median and 1.98 times the GA county median, ranked 1,424th of 3,126 counties nationally and 34th of 159 in Georgia.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Clarke County to cost $7.70 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.38 times the U.S. median and 0.58 times the GA county median, ranked 2,389th of 3,121 counties nationally and 128th of 159 in Georgia.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Clarke County to cost $177 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.89 times the U.S. median and 0.84 times the GA county median, ranked 1,688th of 3,144 counties nationally and 109th of 159 in Georgia.
  • NOAA has only 11 hail reports for Clarke County in 12 years, too few for a trend; FEMA's 176 counted hail events cover a longer record.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $271,900 home, the average yearly loss in Clarke County is about $7.24 for hail and $2.09 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $6.08 and $5.54.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Clarke County meets about 8.3 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1987, the median home in Clarke County is 39 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 70.7% of its 56,913 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 5 of the 11 hail reports in Clarke County (45 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 Clarke 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.

$7.24hail, a year; $6.08 at the U.S. median county rate
$2.09strong wind, a year; $5.54 at the U.S. median county rate
$187hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Clarke County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $632,593 ÷ $23,764,268,241 = 0.0000266. Wind: $183,012 ÷ $23,764,268,241 = 0.0000077. 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.

Clarke County in plain numbers

  • Clarke County scores 66.95 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 1,040th of 3,144 rated counties and 31st of 159 in Georgia.
  • Hail scores 78.75 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $632,593 of hail damage to buildings in Clarke County a year, which is $27 per $1 million of buildings, 1.19 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 57.12 (Relatively Moderate) with $183,012 of expected yearly building loss in Clarke County: $7.70 per $1 million of buildings, 0.38 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 79.42 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $4,204,246, counting everything exposed, or $177 per $1 million of buildings in Clarke County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Clarke County averages 4.64 hail events and 2.30 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 11 hail reports in Clarke County between 2014 and June 2026, on 5 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2 inches.
  • In Clarke County, FEMA counts buildings worth 23.76 billion dollars and 128,510 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Clarke County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively Moderate, for 128,510 residents.
  • 1 city in Clarke County is covered on this site: Athens. 5 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 Athens is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Clarke County ranks 97 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 127 for wind and 120 for tornado.
  • In Clarke County, July is the busiest month with 5 of the 11 reports (45 percent), against 0 reports in January.
  • Clarke County's worst year was 2018, with 1 hail day at 1 inch or more and 4 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.42 such days a year, one about every 28.8 months.
  • The median home in Clarke County was built in 1987; 39.6% of its 56,913 housing units date from before 1980, 70.7% from before 2000 and 10.5% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Clarke County at $271,900, and 41.2% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 2,678 single-family building permits were issued in Clarke County from 2014 to 2025, about 47.1 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2019.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Clarke County is 75 mph on March 21, 2017 at Barretts Mill.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Cobb County, 67 miles from the centre of Clarke County; its hail score is 97.30.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 7 roofing contractor establishments in Clarke County in 2023, one for every 8,130 homes.

The hail record of Clarke County, year by year

NOAA logged 11 reports in Clarke County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 5 days. With so few reports the yearly bars below are small numbers, and a single storm moves them.

Clarke County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more012342014: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch152016: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch162017: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch172018: 4 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch182019: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch212022: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch222023: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch232024: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 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
Clarke County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 3 reports3MarApril: 0 reports0AprMay: 0 reports0MayJune: 2 reports2JunJuly: 5 reports5JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 0 reports0SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: July, 5 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
20141101 in–
20173101 in–
20184112 in$2,500,000
20212101.5 in–
20221101.5 in–

Biggest hail days in Clarke County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
July 21, 20182 in4$2,500,000Oconee Hgts
June 6, 20211.5 in2none recordedOconee Hgts
July 3, 20221.5 in1none recordedPrinceton
March 21, 20171 in3none recordedWhitehall
October 9, 20141 in1none recordedAthens

Where large hail was reported

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

Reported hail locations, Clarke County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail Athens
  • 91 to 1.74 in
  • 21.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 02.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

11 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 Clarke County

Fastest gusts in Clarke County

DateGustNear
March 21, 201775 mphBarretts Mill
July 20, 202370 mphAthens
July 20, 202370 mphOconee Hgts
July 20, 202370 mphGreen Acres

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 Clarke County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.42 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Clarke 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: 5.0% of homes5%<1940381940s: 2.7% of homes2.7%1940s341950s: 5.7% of homes5.7%1950s301960s: 11.9% of homes11.9%1960s251970s: 14.3% of homes14.3%1970s211980s: 14.6% of homes14.6%1980s171990s: 16.6% of homes16.6%1990s132000s: 18.8% of homes18.8%2000s92010s: 8.8% of homes8.8%2010s52020+: 1.6% of homes1.6%2020+1

Bars: share of 56,913 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 built1987
Built before 198039.6%
Built before 200070.7%
Built since 201010.5%
Owner-occupied41.2%
Median home value$271,900
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20252,678
Permits per 1,000 homes47.1

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 Clarke County

Roofing firms in Clarke County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20237
Change since 2016+6 (+600%)
Homes per roofing firm8,130
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202333

Source for Clarke 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 Clarke County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Cobb County, GA67 Relatively High $351.31$4.670.6126
Bibb County, GA80 Relatively Low $180.67$101.305
Richmond County, GA83 Relatively Moderate $8.580.32$212.7728
Houston County, GA102 Relatively Low $130.49$101.3413
Muscogee County, GA132 Relatively Moderate $140.51$4.340.5614
Dougherty County, GA173 Relatively Moderate $3.730.14$273.4615

More Georgia counties, nearest first

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Clarke 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. 5 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Athens 30601 (90%), 30602 (100%), 30605 (95%), 30606 (74%), 30607 (37%) Roofers

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

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Clarke County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Clarke County an overall score of 66.95 (Relatively Low), 1,040th of 3,144. Hail scores 78.75 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 57.12 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 79.42 (Relatively Moderate).

In Clarke 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 11 for Clarke County between 2014 and June 2026, on 5 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2 inches.

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

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $271,900: FEMA's estimate is about $7.24 a year for hail and $2.09 for wind, before any deductible, against $6.08 and $5.54 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 Clarke County compare with the rest of Georgia?

Per $1 million of buildings Clarke County loses $27 to hail a year, against $13 in the median county of the state. Among 159 rated counties it is 14th for hail, 43rd for strong wind and 29th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Clarke County?

The median home was built in 1987, 39 years ago, and 70.7% of the 56,913 housing units in Clarke 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 Clarke County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Clarke County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Clarke County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Clarke County. Planning-level information about Clarke 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).