Georgia, 1997

Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 15, 1997

July 15, 1997 · NWS FFC · 6 events in 4 counties and zones

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$259,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Twiggs

When
July 15, 3:20 PM EST
Where
Twiggs County, Tarversville
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
32.530, -83.430

Four to five trees and limbs were blocking portions of Georgia Highway 96 west of Tarversville.

Hail, De Kalb

When
July 15, 5:05 PM EST
Where
De Kalb County, Tucker
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
33.850, -84.220

Thunderstorm Wind, De Kalb

When
July 15, 5:10 PM EST to 5:15 PM EST
Where
De Kalb County, Chamblee to Stone Mtn
Property damage
$4,000
Coordinates
33.880, -84.300

The public reported that thunderstorm winds knocked down three pine trees. They were about 2 feet in diameter and 80 to 100 feet tall.

Thunderstorm Wind, Spalding

When
July 15, 6:45 PM EST
Where
Spalding County, Griffin
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
33.250, -84.270

Several trees were knocked down on houses near the Spalding county airport. The most substantial damage was several aircraft which were parked at the airport. Five planes received irreparable damage with at least three planes flipped onto their backs, and one on its nose. As many as six other aircraft were damaged to a lesser degree due to wind stress on the ropes tying them down , or contact with the other aircraft. One airplane was lifted off the groung, and then carried approximately 70 feet over a fuel truck along the edge of the airport property, landing upside-down on the county fairgrounds. The terminal building at the airport also experienced significant damage to its roof. One airplane, a DC-3, awaiting restoration at the field was turned like a wind vane from facing southwest to facing west-northwest. The county fairgrounds to the east of the airport also sustained damages. A free standing ticket booth was destroyed and a storage trailer was toppled along the western edge of the fairgrounds. Further east, five small sets of aluminum bleachers were rolled by the winds and destroyed.

Hail, Spalding

When
July 15, 6:45 PM EST
Where
Spalding County, Griffin
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.250, -84.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Pike

When
July 15, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Pike County, Concord
Property damage
$2,000
Coordinates
33.080, -84.430

Several trees were knocked down on Wood Road near Georgia Highway 18.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, July 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5608787, 5608877, 5608878, 5607648, 5608881, 5608880.