Statistical Characteristics of Hurricane Winds over Georgia for the Period 1961–2022

A catalog of hurricanes over the territory of Georgia for the period 1961–2022 has been compiled, containing the period of onset, geographical coordinates of the epicenter, speed, magnitude, intensity, area of distribution, material damage, human casualties. Over the entire study period, about 1600 cases of hurricane winds were recorded. During the year, hurricanes occur on average 20 times, with the highest number of cases recorded in 2002 – 81. The average speed of hurricane winds in general for Georgia is 36 m/s, the highest speed reached 56 m/s. The average hurricane area is about 1200 sq. km, and the maximum hurricane area exceeds 10000 sq. km. There is no clear relationship between the hurricane area and the corresponding material damage, which can most likely be explained by the heterogeneity of the level of urbanization of comparable areas that experience varying degrees of damage. The long-term changes in hurricane activity reveal a cyclical nature, which can be explained by the peculiarities of atmospheric circulation. In general,
over the entire period there has been a tendency for hurricane activity to weaken.