Georgia, 1997Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, November 21, 1997
November 21, 1997 · NWS FFC · 4 events in 3 counties and zones
Sight survey by a NWS employee showed a severe thunderstorm moved across extreme northern Webster county into Marion and Schley counties. Another storm moved into Webster county further south.
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- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
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- Hail
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- Heat and drought
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- Fire, smoke and dust
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $380,000
- Crop damage
- $80,000
- Events
- 4
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.
Sight survey by a NWS employee showed a severe thunderstorm moved across extreme northern Webster county into Marion and Schley counties. Another storm moved into Webster county further south. These two storms may have merged together. The storm continued across Schley county and caused some damage in Macon county before weakening. There were no actual tornado sightings, but there was a suggestion of rotation/circulation by occurrences of large trees lying at angles to each other. There was only one report of a funnel, but roaring, "freight train" sounds were heard. Radar also indicated a definite rotation as well. Most of the damage may have been due to downburst winds, but there were strong indications of intermittent touchdowns of an F1 tornado. Luckily there were no injuries.
Event by event
2 tornado, 1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Tornado, Marion
- When
- November 21, 9:00 PM EST to 9:10 PM EST
- Where
- Marion County, Draneville to 2 mi E of Draneville
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 5 mi
- Path width
- 100 yd
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 32.220, -84.520
West of Draneville, nearly 50 trees were knocked down and several grain silos and out-buildings were damaged. A church just southeast of Draneville on highway 30 was destroyed. Its roof was blown into a nearby orchard, where 116 pecan trees were also destroyed. The roof of a youth center was lifted off. A gas station/grocery store sustained minor damage.
Tornado, Schley
- When
- November 21, 9:10 PM EST to 9:25 PM EST
- Where
- Schley County, Ellaville
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 5 mi
- Path width
- 100 yd
- Property damage
- $250,000
- Crop damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 32.230, -84.300
A state of emergency was declared in Schley county where 103 people were displaced due to the storm. In Ellaville, 5 mobile homes were destroyed, 17 homes and 11 other mobile homes sustained minor to moderate damage, and 19 vehicles were damaged or destroyed. The EMA director reported 500 trees were downed and power outages occurred throughout the town.
Hail, Schley
- When
- November 21, 9:29 PM EST
- Where
- Schley County, Ellaville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.230, -84.300
Thunderstorm Wind, Macon
- When
- November 21, 9:30 PM EST to 9:40 PM EST
- Where
- Macon County, Oglethorpe to 8 mi E of Montezuma
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $10,000
- Coordinates
- 32.220, -84.170
Twenty-five to thiirty pecan trees were blown down southwest of Oglethorpe near the Schley county line. A mobile home in the same area along highway 26 was damaged as it was lifted and returned to its foundation, crushing the cinder block footings. The home's tie downs were tightly in place and they showed 6 inches of stretch after the storm had passed. An out-building on a farm east of Montezuma sustained wind damage.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Louisiana, November 21, 199743 injured · $3.6 million · F2 · 4 events
- Tornado in Alabama, November 21, 1997$2.0 million · F3 · 1 event
- Tornado in Louisiana, November 21, 19971 injured · $3.5 million · F1 · 1 event
- Tornadoes and Hail in Mississippi, November 21, 19972 injured · $800,000 · F1 · 4 events
- Tornado in Alabama, November 21, 1997$250,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Florida, November 21, 19972 injured · $25,000 · 70 kt wind · 1 event
- Flash Flooding in Georgia, November 21, 1997$50,000 · 2 events
- Damaging Wind in Florida, November 21, 1997$50,000 · 70 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, November 21, 1997$40,000 · 80 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, November 21, 1997$35,000 · 50 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, November 21, 1997$35,000 · 70 kt wind · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, November 21, 1997$25,000 · 70 kt wind · 1 event
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: 5621782, 5621855, 5621857, 5621856.