Lincoln County, GA Environment & Hazard Risk
Very Low natural hazard risk, led by ice storm. 174 storm events since 1996.
- Expected yearly loss
- $2.8M
- Very Low nationally
- Storm events since 1996
- 174
- Most often thunderstorm wind
- Flood insurance policies
- 3
- 0.1% of homes
- Hurricanes nearby
- 0
- 4 tropical storms or stronger since 1886
Natural hazard risk
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025
Overall risk
Very Low
Score 5.5 of 100
Social vulnerability
Relatively Moderate
Score 53.9 of 100
Community resilience
Very Low
Score 11.0 of 100
Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.
Building value exposed: $1.8B · Agriculture value exposed: $5.4M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $3.36M
Risk by hazard
- Ice stormRelatively Moderate$135K/yr expected annual loss, about 1.1 events a year
- HurricaneVery Low$101K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 17 years
- EarthquakeVery Low$178K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 378 years
- WildfireVery Low$21.07K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 1,169 years
- TornadoRelatively Low$558K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 6 years
- HailVery Low$89.24K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.4 events a year
- Heat waveVery Low$64.77K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.3 events a year
- Strong windVery Low$128K/yr expected annual loss, about 3.6 events a year
- Cold waveVery Low$123K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 5 years
- LandslideVery Low$44/yr expected annual loss, about once every 7 years
- LightningVery Low$27.37K/yr expected annual loss, about 57 events a year
- Winter weatherVery Low$1,951/yr expected annual loss, about 1.8 events a year
Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, drought, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.
Flood risk and insurance
National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps
Check the flood zone for an address
- Homes with flood insurance
- 3 of 5,065 (0.1%)
- Homes in high-risk flood zones
- 10
- Insured in high-risk zones
- 1 (10%)
Storm history
Since 1996: 174 events, 1 death, $10.08M in damage
- Thunderstorm Wind98
- Hail39
- Tornado9
- Flash Flood7
- Winter Storm5
- Winter Weather4
- Strong Wind3
- Ice Storm3
- Tropical Storm2 · 1 death
- Heavy Snow2
Events per year
10 tornadoes on record (EF0 2, F0 3, F1 2, F2 2, F3 1).
Most damaging storms
Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage
- Tropical Storm09/27/2024
Lincoln
1 death, $8.9M damage
What happened
Widespread trees and power lines down throughout the county leading to many closed roads. Large sections of the county lost power for extended period of time. Falling trees and wind caused substantial structural damage across the county. At least 207 homes sustained some level of damage including 16 destroyed and 79 with major damage. NWS storm survey estimated that maximum wind gusts around 80-100 mph. A man was killed when a tree fell on his home. Areas of flooding with 2 day rainfall from a COOP observer in Lincolnton of 7.20 inches.
- TornadoF2, 1 mi path, 200 yd wide05/08/1998
Lincolnton, Lincoln County
8 injured, $300K damage
What happened
An F2 tornado hit the Pine Woods subdivision destryoing 12 homes and causing major damage to 15 homes and minor damage to 8 homes.
- Ice Storm01/26/2004
Lincoln
2 injured
What happened
An ice storm developed over the CSRA late Sunday night and Monday and produced 1/4-3/4 inch of ice. The heaviest ice accumulations occurred in Lincoln, Columbia, and McDuffie counties. Many trees and powerlines were down causing scattered power outages. About 100,000 homes were without power for several days. Four people were injured in traffic related accidents and one person was killed in Loncoln county when a tree fell on his vehicle.
- Thunderstorm Wind55 kt wind06/09/2015
Amity, Lincoln County
1 injured, $28K damage
What happened
Lincoln DOT reported several trees down along Thomson Highway. One tree fell on a vehicle injuring the occupant.
- TornadoF2, 0.5 mi path, 200 yd wide05/08/1998
New Hope, Lincoln County
$350K damage
What happened
An F2 tornado destroyed 7 homes and did major and minor damage to about a dozen others at Indian Cove.
Latest storm reports
Newest first
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind07/10/2026
Lincolnton, Lincoln County
- Heavy Snow01/31/2026
Lincoln
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind06/08/2025
Lincolnton, Lincoln County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind02/16/2025
Martins Xrds, Lincoln County
- Thunderstorm Wind52 kt wind02/16/2025
Goshen, Lincoln County
- Winter Weather01/21/2025
Lincoln
- Winter Weather01/10/2025
Lincoln
- Tropical Storm09/27/2024
Lincoln
1 death, $8.9M damage
Hurricanes and tropical storms
Storms whose track crossed Lincoln County, with the wind when it passed
- Unnamed storm (1949)08/23/1949 · Landfall: FL · 954 mbTropical storm63 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1893)09/27/1893 · Landfall: LA, MS · 948 mbTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1889)09/12/1889 · Landfall: LA, ALTropical storm52 mph nearby
- Unnamed storm (1886)06/17/1886 · Landfall: FLTropical storm52 mph nearby
Drinking water
3 community water systems serve about 7,682 people. Violations since 2021.
2 systems had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step.
- Lincoln County Water SystemServes 5,979 · Purchased surface water · Local government3 health violations+2 monitoring or reporting
- LincolntonServes 1,657 · Surface water · Local government1 health violation+2 monitoring or reporting
- Fishing Creek MhpServes 46 · Groundwater · PrivateNo health violations+1 monitoring or reporting
Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.
Climate
1991-2020 normals at Mccormick, 12 mi from the county center
Summer highs peak around 92°F in Jul and winter lows bottom out near 33°F in Jan. About 47.3 inches of rain falls in a typical year.
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 56°F | 33°F | 4.16 in |
| Feb | 59°F | 34°F | 3.96 in |
| Mar | 67°F | 40°F | 4.49 in |
| Apr | 75°F | 48°F | 3.23 in |
| May | 83°F | 57°F | 3.23 in |
| Jun | 89°F | 66°F | 4.62 in |
| Jul | 92°F | 70°F | 4.49 in |
| Aug | 91°F | 69°F | 4.45 in |
| Sep | 86°F | 63°F | 3.63 in |
| Oct | 76°F | 51°F | 3.11 in |
| Nov | 65°F | 40°F | 3.62 in |
| Dec | 57°F | 35°F | 4.30 in |
| Year | 63°F average | 47.3 in | |
Pollution sites
0 Superfund sites and 0 toxic release facilities in Lincoln County
No Superfund sites or toxic release facilities in Lincoln County in our data.
Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk4 historic places
Frequently asked questions
- How risky is Lincoln County for natural disasters?
- FEMA rates Lincoln County very low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $2.8M a year. The highest-rated hazards are ice storm (relatively moderate), hurricane (very low), earthquake (very low).
- What storms are most common in Lincoln County?
- Since 1996, NOAA recorded 174 storm events affecting Lincoln County, most often thunderstorm wind (98), hail (39), tornado (9).
- How many tornadoes have hit Lincoln County?
- 10 tornadoes have been recorded in Lincoln County since 1950, including 1 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
- How many homes in Lincoln County have flood insurance?
- 3 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Lincoln County, covering about 0.1% of homes.
- What is the weather like in Lincoln County?
- At Mccormick, average highs reach 92°F in Jul and lows fall to 33°F in Jan, with 47.3 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).
Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.