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Georgia heat wave risk

159 counties scored 0 rated Very High

Chatham County has the highest heat wave risk in Georgia, scoring 95.3 out of 100 — rated "Relatively Moderate" by FEMA's National Risk Index. NOAA has recorded 103 heat wave events across Georgia over the past decade.

# County NRI score Rating NOAA events
2016–2026
1 Chatham County 95.3 Relatively Moderate 0
2 Bibb County 94.2 Relatively Moderate 0
3 Gwinnett County 93 Relatively Moderate 0
4 DeKalb County 92.5 Relatively Moderate 0
5 Houston County 92.5 Relatively Moderate 0
6 Fulton County 92.4 Relatively Moderate 0
7 Richmond County 91.2 Relatively Moderate 0
8 Muscogee County 91 Relatively Moderate 2
9 Cobb County 89 Relatively Moderate 0
10 Clayton County 83.8 Relatively Moderate 0
11 Bulloch County 83.5 Relatively Moderate 1
12 Glynn County 81.1 Relatively Moderate 0
13 Laurens County 80.2 Relatively Moderate 0
14 Bleckley County 80.1 Relatively Moderate 0
15 Lowndes County 77.4 Relatively Low 5
16 Henry County 76.7 Relatively Low 0
17 Effingham County 76.6 Relatively Low 0
18 Dougherty County 76.2 Relatively Low 3
19 Columbia County 75.3 Relatively Low 0
20 Liberty County 74.4 Relatively Low 0
21 Elbert County 74.1 Relatively Low 0
22 Carroll County 73.5 Relatively Low 1
23 Baldwin County 73.3 Relatively Low 0
24 Clarke County 73.1 Relatively Low 0
25 Twiggs County 70.6 Relatively Low 0
26 Coweta County 70.2 Relatively Low 0
27 Dodge County 70.1 Relatively Low 0
28 Troup County 69.3 Relatively Low 0
29 Sumter County 68.9 Relatively Low 0
30 Bryan County 67.1 Relatively Low 0
31 Cherokee County 66.7 Relatively Low 0
32 Peach County 66.7 Relatively Low 0
33 Hall County 66.4 Relatively Low 0
34 Emanuel County 65.9 Relatively Low 0
35 Burke County 65.3 Relatively Low 0
36 Jones County 64.6 Relatively Low 0
37 Toombs County 64.3 Relatively Low 0
38 Floyd County 63.7 Relatively Low 0
39 Forsyth County 63.5 Relatively Low 0
40 Tattnall County 63.3 Relatively Low 0
41 Colquitt County 61.7 Relatively Low 4
42 Screven County 61.3 Relatively Low 0
43 Newton County 61.2 Relatively Low 0
44 Thomas County 61 Relatively Low 5
45 Walker County 61 Relatively Low 0
46 Walton County 60.9 Relatively Low 0
47 Washington County 60.7 Relatively Low 0
48 Ware County 60 Relatively Low 0
49 Camden County 59 Relatively Low 0
50 Crisp County 58.8 Relatively Low 0
51 Douglas County 58.7 Relatively Low 0
52 Paulding County 58.5 Relatively Low 0
53 Fayette County 56.9 Relatively Low 0
54 Monroe County 56.8 Relatively Low 0
55 Telfair County 56.8 Relatively Low 0
56 Putnam County 56.6 Relatively Low 0
57 Rockdale County 56.6 Relatively Low 0
58 Spalding County 55.3 Relatively Low 0
59 Pulaski County 55.1 Relatively Low 0
60 Barrow County 54.8 Relatively Low 0
61 Hart County 54.7 Relatively Low 0
62 Wayne County 54.7 Relatively Low 0
63 Coffee County 54.5 Relatively Low 0
64 Jefferson County 53.9 Relatively Low 0
65 Macon County 53.5 Relatively Low 0
66 Tift County 52.3 Relatively Low 3
67 Grady County 51.1 Relatively Low 5
68 Greene County 50.9 Relatively Low 0
69 Upson County 50.8 Relatively Low 0
70 McIntosh County 49.8 Relatively Low 0
71 Whitfield County 49.6 Relatively Low 0
72 Decatur County 49.2 Relatively Low 5
73 Johnson County 48.8 Relatively Low 0
74 Mitchell County 48.4 Relatively Low 4
75 Wheeler County 47.1 Relatively Low 0
76 Bartow County 47 Relatively Low 0
77 Candler County 47 Relatively Low 0
78 Harris County 46.9 Relatively Low 0
79 Evans County 46.7 Relatively Low 0
80 Jackson County 46.5 Relatively Low 0
81 Charlton County 46.1 Relatively Low 0
82 McDuffie County 45.6 Relatively Low 0
83 Wilkinson County 45.1 Relatively Low 0
84 Wilcox County 45 Relatively Low 0
85 Butts County 44.6 Relatively Low 0
86 Jenkins County 44.5 Relatively Low 0
87 Madison County 43.7 Relatively Low 0
88 Worth County 43.6 Relatively Low 3
89 Hancock County 43.5 Relatively Low 0
90 Lee County 43.3 Relatively Low 3
91 Long County 43.3 Relatively Low 0
92 Wilkes County 43.1 Relatively Low 0
93 Appling County 43 Relatively Low 0
94 Brooks County 42.9 Relatively Low 5
95 Montgomery County 42.9 Relatively Low 0
96 Meriwether County 42.5 Relatively Low 0
97 Dooly County 42 Relatively Low 0
98 Catoosa County 41.9 Relatively Low 0
99 Ben Hill County 41.8 Relatively Low 3
100 Polk County 41.5 Relatively Low 0
101 Berrien County 41.2 Relatively Low 4
102 Taylor County 41 Relatively Low 0
103 Jeff Davis County 40.9 Relatively Low 0
104 Brantley County 39.7 Relatively Low 0
105 Crawford County 39.6 Relatively Low 0
106 Oconee County 39.5 Relatively Low 0
107 Lamar County 39 Relatively Low 0
108 Cook County 38.1 Very Low 4
109 Pierce County 38 Very Low 0
110 Jasper County 37.6 Very Low 0
111 Franklin County 37.3 Very Low 0
112 Gordon County 37 Very Low 0
113 Morgan County 36.8 Very Low 0
114 Early County 36.1 Very Low 4
115 Pike County 35.4 Very Low 0
116 Haralson County 35.2 Very Low 0
117 Marion County 34.2 Very Low 0
118 Treutlen County 33.7 Very Low 0
119 Bacon County 33.4 Very Low 0
120 Warren County 33.4 Very Low 0
121 Oglethorpe County 32.2 Very Low 0
122 Stewart County 31.6 Very Low 0
123 Stephens County 30.9 Very Low 0
124 Murray County 29 Very Low 0
125 Terrell County 28.9 Very Low 3
126 Turner County 28.4 Very Low 3
127 Clinch County 28.3 Very Low 0
128 Talbot County 28.2 Very Low 0
129 Chattooga County 28.1 Very Low 0
130 Lanier County 27.8 Very Low 5
131 Heard County 27.7 Very Low 0
132 Chattahoochee County 26.1 Very Low 0
133 Banks County 26 Very Low 0
134 Randolph County 25.8 Very Low 3
135 Calhoun County 25.6 Very Low 3
136 Irwin County 25 Very Low 3
137 Dade County 24.6 Very Low 0
138 Seminole County 23.7 Very Low 5
139 Lincoln County 22.2 Very Low 0
140 Glascock County 21.4 Very Low 0
141 Atkinson County 21.2 Very Low 0
142 Miller County 20.2 Very Low 4
143 Schley County 19.5 Very Low 0
144 Webster County 18.9 Very Low 0
145 Clay County 18.8 Very Low 3
146 Baker County 18.4 Very Low 4
147 Pickens County 16.8 Very Low 0
148 Taliaferro County 16.5 Very Low 0
149 Quitman County 16.4 Very Low 3
150 Dawson County 14.5 Very Low 0
151 Lumpkin County 14.5 Very Low 0
152 Echols County 14.2 Very Low 0
153 White County 13.9 Very Low 0
154 Habersham County 8.6 Very Low 0
155 Gilmer County 7 Very Low 0
156 Union County 6.6 Very Low 0
157 Fannin County 6 Very Low 0
158 Towns County 4.8 Very Low 0
159 Rabun County 2.3 Very Low 0

Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.

Heat Wave risk nationally:

Top 50 US counties

Other hazard risks in Georgia:

WildfireInland FloodingCoastal FloodingEarthquakeTornadoHurricaneHailStrong WindWinter WeatherIce StormCold WaveLightningDroughtLandslideAvalancheTsunamiVolcanic Activity

Frequently asked questions

What is the highest heat wave risk county in Georgia?

Chatham County, GA has the highest heat wave risk in Georgia, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 95.3 out of 100 (rated "Relatively Moderate").

What causes heat wave risk in Georgia?

Heat is consistently the leading cause of weather-related mortality in the US, yet it remains underrepresented in federal disaster declarations relative to its actual impact. High scores reflect a combination of extreme temperature exposure, population vulnerability (elderly, outdoor workers), and limited access to cooling infrastructure.