Georgia, 1998

Hail and Lightning Strike in Georgia, April 21, 1998

April 21, 1998 · NWS FFC · 13 events in 10 counties and zones

12 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$125,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
13

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 Atlanta radar (KFFC), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:27 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Cherokee

When
April 21, 4:29 PM EST
Where
Cherokee County, South Canton to Canton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.220, -84.480

The Cherokee county EMA reported dime size hail in Canton and South Canton.

Hail, De Kalb

When
April 21, 4:35 PM EST to 4:50 PM EST
Where
De Kalb County, Dunwoody to Tucker
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.950, -84.330

Several public reports were received of dime to nickel size hail.

Hail, Forsyth

When
April 21, 4:44 PM EST
Where
Forsyth County, Cumming
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
34.200, -84.150

Hail, Fulton

When
April 21, 4:45 PM EST
Where
Fulton County, Alpharetta
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
34.070, -84.300

Hail up to dime size was reported. It covered the ground in some areas.

Hail, Butts

When
April 21, 4:45 PM EST
Where
Butts County, Jackson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -83.970

Lightning, Forsyth

When
April 21, 4:45 PM EST
Where
Forsyth County, Cumming
Property damage
$120,000
Coordinates
34.226, -84.125 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a gas main at a home in the Gran Forest subdivision. The house was immediately engulfed in flames and was destroyed.

Hail, Gwinnett

When
April 21, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Gwinnett County, Buford
Measured
1.75 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Coordinates
34.120, -84.000

Golfball size hail damaged a car.

Hail, Jasper

When
April 21, 5:00 PM EST
Where
Jasper County, Monticello
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -83.680

Hail, Putnam

When
April 21, 5:30 PM EST
Where
Putnam County, Willard
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.300, -83.480

Dime size hail was reported near the intersection of highways 142 and 300.

Hail, Putnam

When
April 21, 5:55 PM EST to 6:10 PM EST
Where
Putnam County, Eatonton
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.320, -83.380

Hail, Greene

When
April 21, 6:10 PM EST
Where
Greene County, 4 mi SW of Greensboro
Measured
0.88 in hail
Coordinates
33.530, -83.230

Hail, Baldwin

When
April 21, 7:00 PM EST
Where
Baldwin County, 7 mi NW of Milledgeville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
33.150, -83.320

Hail, Baldwin

When
April 21, 7:10 PM EST to 7:25 PM EST
Where
Baldwin County, Milledgeville
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
33.080, -83.230

Several public reports indicated dime to quarter size hail.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Georgia, April 1998

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: 5638185, 5638186, 5638187, 5638188, 5638189, 5638192, 5638190, 5638191, 5638193, 5638194, 5638195, 5638197, 5638196.