Georgia, 1998Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, April 3, 1998
April 3, 1998 · NWS FFC · 69 events in 38 counties and zones
53 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 lightning, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $687,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 69
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.
Event by event
53 hail, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 lightning, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Cherokee
- When
- April 3, 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Cherokee County, Canton
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Coordinates
- 34.244, -84.476 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Two separate lightning strikes caused a house fire and a small fire at a church daycare center.
Lightning, Hall
- When
- April 3, 10:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
- Where
- Hall County, 2 mi N of Oakwood
- Property damage
- $120,000
- Coordinates
- 34.317, -83.820 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Fires caused by lightning strikes destroyed one home on Stacy Drive and damaged three othersin south Hall county.
Lightning, Fulton
- When
- April 3, 10:24 AM EST
- Where
- Fulton County, 5 mi S of Sandy Spgs
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 33.790, -84.467 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A landscaper was struck and killed by lightning while holding a metal shovel.
Thunderstorm Wind, Washington
- When
- April 3, 3:00 PM EST
- Where
- Washington County, Sandersville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 32.980, -82.800
Thunderstorm winds tore shingles from a roof just south of Sandersville.
Thunderstorm Wind, Washington
- When
- April 3, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Washington County, Tennille
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 32.930, -82.800
A Sandersville deputy reported thunderstorm wind damage to a house. There was an unconfirmed report of a tornado. Dime size hail was also reported.
Hail, Jefferson
- When
- April 3, 3:25 PM EST
- Where
- Jefferson County, Bartow
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.880, -82.470
Hail, Cobb
- When
- April 3, 3:30 PM EST to 3:42 PM EST
- Where
- Cobb County, Acworth to Kennesaw
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.080, -84.670
Numerous reports from the public indicated dime to quarter size hail.
Hail, Fulton
- When
- April 3, 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- Fulton County, Atlanta
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.770, -84.400
Dime size hail was reported in Ansley Park.
Hail, Fulton
- When
- April 3, 4:25 PM EST to 4:30 PM EST
- Where
- Fulton County, Atlanta to East Pt
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.770, -84.400
Hail, De Kalb
- When
- April 3, 4:30 PM EST to 4:45 PM EST
- Where
- De Kalb County, Decatur to Stone Mtn
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.780, -84.300
Hail, Houston
- When
- April 3, 4:30 PM EST to 4:50 PM EST
- Where
- Houston County, Perry to 2 mi of Warner Robins
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.480, -83.730
Hail, Dade
- When
- April 3, 4:32 PM EST to 4:47 PM EST
- Where
- Dade County, Trenton
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.870, -85.500
Several reports of dime to quarter size hail were received.
Hail, Wilkinson
- When
- April 3, 5:05 PM EST to 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Wilkinson County, Irwinton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.820, -83.170
Hail, Henry
- When
- April 3, 5:20 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Mc Donough
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.450, -84.150
Hail, Walton
- When
- April 3, 5:30 PM EST
- Where
- Walton County, Gratis
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.880, -83.670
Hail, Oconee
- When
- April 3, 5:30 PM EST to 5:40 PM EST
- Where
- Oconee County, Eastville to 5 mi of Watkinsville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.930, -83.570
The Oconee county EMA reported dime to quarter size hail near highway 78.
Hail, Clarke
- When
- April 3, 5:39 PM EST to 5:42 PM EST
- Where
- Clarke County, Athens to 2 mi of Athens
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.950, -83.420
Hail, Morgan
- When
- April 3, 6:00 PM EST
- Where
- Morgan County, 3 mi W of Pennington
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.480, -83.620
Hail, Emanuel
- When
- April 3, 6:10 PM EST
- Where
- Emanuel County, 6 mi N of Dellwood
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.750, -82.370
Hail, Carroll
- When
- April 3, 6:15 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll County, Carrollton to Whitesburg
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.580, -85.080
The public reported dime size hail in Carrollton and golfball size in Whitesburg.
Thunderstorm Wind, Morgan
- When
- April 3, 6:20 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Morgan County, Madison
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 33.580, -83.470
Thunderstorm winds knocked trees down and damaged an outbuilding. Quarter size hail was also reported.
Hail, Morgan
- When
- April 3, 6:20 PM EST to 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Morgan County, Madison
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.580, -83.470
Hail, Gordon
- When
- April 3, 6:20 PM EST
- Where
- Gordon County, Calhoun
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.480, -84.930
Hail, Douglas
- When
- April 3, 6:25 PM EST to 6:33 PM EST
- Where
- Douglas County, Douglasville to 5 mi of Douglasville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.670, -84.750
There were numerous public reports of hail ranging from dime to quarter size.
Hail, Emanuel
- When
- April 3, 6:30 PM EST
- Where
- Emanuel County, Swainsboro
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.600, -82.330
Hail, Fulton
- When
- April 3, 6:45 PM EST to 6:50 PM EST
- Where
- Fulton County, Atlanta to 7 mi of Alpharetta
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.770, -84.520
Hail, Forsyth
- When
- April 3, 6:50 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Forsyth County, Cumming
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.200, -84.150
Hail, Cherokee
- When
- April 3, 6:55 PM EST
- Where
- Cherokee County, Canton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.230, -84.480
Three quarter inch hail was reported countywide.
Hail, Gwinnett
- When
- April 3, 6:58 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Gwinnett County, Norcross to Suwanee
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.930, -84.220
There were numerous reports of dime to quarter size hail all across Gwinnett county from Norcross to Snellville to Duluth to Suwanee.
Hail, De Kalb
- When
- April 3, 7:10 PM EST to 7:23 PM EST
- Where
- De Kalb County, Stone Mtn
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.800, -84.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Coweta
- When
- April 3, 7:15 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Coweta County, Sharpsburg to Senoia
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 33.330, -84.650
Thunderstorm winds damaged 5 homes. At East Coweta Middle School part of the roof was ripped off, trees were uprooted, and two scoreboards were knocked down. Several trees were broken and twisted and power lines were downed in Senoia. There were reports of a funnel between Sharpsburg and Turin. Another was reported between Franklin and Newnan in the west part of the county.
Hail, Hall
- When
- April 3, 7:15 PM EST to 7:30 PM EST
- Where
- Hall County, Gainesville to 3 mi of Gainesville
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.300, -83.880
Several reports of hail from dime to golfball size were received.
Hail, Fayette
- When
- April 3, 7:20 PM EST to 7:25 PM EST
- Where
- Fayette County, Peachtree City
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.420, -84.450
One inch hail was observed at the Weather Service Forecast Office. Other reports indicated dime size hail.
Hail, Carroll
- When
- April 3, 7:30 PM EST to 7:50 PM EST
- Where
- Carroll County, Carrollton to Villa Rica
- Measured
- 2.5 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.580, -85.080
Several public reports of large hail were received. Quarter to tennis ball size was indicated in Carrollton and golfball size was in Villa Rica.
Hail, Whitfield
- When
- April 3, 7:35 PM EST
- Where
- Whitfield County, Dalton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.770, -84.950
Thunderstorm Wind, Walker
- When
- April 3, 7:35 PM EST
- Where
- Walker County, Kensington
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 34.770, -85.370
A road was blocked due to downed trees from thunderstorm winds.
Hail, Douglas
- When
- April 3, 7:40 PM EST to 7:55 PM EST
- Where
- Douglas County, Douglasville to Bill Arp
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.750, -84.750
Hail, Spalding
- When
- April 3, 7:41 PM EST
- Where
- Spalding County, 5 mi N of Griffin
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.320, -84.270
Thunderstorm Wind, Fayette
- When
- April 3, 7:45 PM EST to 7:55 PM EST
- Where
- Fayette County, Peachtree City
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $500
- Coordinates
- 33.420, -84.450
Thunderstorm winds knocked down a few of trees in and just northeast of town.
Hail, Henry
- When
- April 3, 7:46 PM EST to 7:52 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Hampton to Stockbridge
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.380, -84.280
Tornado, Spalding
- When
- April 3, 7:52 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Spalding County, Griffin to 4 mi NE of Griffin
- Rating
- F1
- Path length
- 4 mi
- Path width
- 150 yd
- Property damage
- $400,000
- Coordinates
- 33.280, -84.220
The Spalding county EMA reported 30 homes suffered minor to heavy damage. One on North Walkers Mill Road was completely destroyed. In the Amelia Road area, homes sustained moderate damage with one shifted off its foundation. Light to moderate damage was in the Gainer Road area. The path length and width were estimated, but the storm apparently only touched down intermittently along the track.
Tornado, Henry
- When
- April 3, 8:00 PM EST to 8:04 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Locust Grove to 2 mi of Locust Grove
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 2 mi
- Path width
- 100 yd
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 33.350, -84.150
The tornado in Spalding county continued into Henry county, but apparently weakened. Sight survey by NWS employees showed numerous trees were downed. Some were pointing toward the west while others were toward the south indicating rotation of the storm. Eight mobile homes in the Indian Creek mobile home park were damaged, mainly from falling trees. The tornado seemed to skirt the southern edge of the mobile home park before lifting. Only one minor injury was reported.
Hail, Fannin
- When
- April 3, 8:10 PM EST
- Where
- Fannin County, Mc Caysville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.980, -84.370
Hail, Fulton
- When
- April 3, 8:15 PM EST
- Where
- Fulton County, Hapeville
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.670, -84.400
Hail, Clayton
- When
- April 3, 8:15 PM EST
- Where
- Clayton County, Forest Park
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.620, -84.370
Hail, Madison
- When
- April 3, 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Madison County, 5 mi N of Comer
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.130, -83.130
Hail, Gwinnett
- When
- April 3, 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Gwinnett County, Duluth
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.000, -84.150
Hail, Bartow
- When
- April 3, 8:20 PM EST
- Where
- Bartow County, White
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.280, -84.750
Hail, Henry
- When
- April 3, 8:25 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Stockbridge to 5 mi N of Stockbridge
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.600, -84.230
Hail, Clayton
- When
- April 3, 8:35 PM EST to 8:45 PM EST
- Where
- Clayton County, Conley to Jonesboro
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.650, -84.320
There were numerous public reports of dime size hail in northern Clayton county.
Hail, Cherokee
- When
- April 3, 8:38 PM EST
- Where
- Cherokee County, Canton
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.230, -84.480
Hail, Coweta
- When
- April 3, 8:43 PM EST
- Where
- Coweta County, 4 mi W of Newnan
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.370, -84.870
Hail, Newton
- When
- April 3, 8:55 PM EST
- Where
- Newton County, 5 mi W of Covington
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.600, -83.950
Hail, Rockdale
- When
- April 3, 8:55 PM EST
- Where
- Rockdale County, 3 mi E of Conyers
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.670, -83.970
Hail, Banks
- When
- April 3, 8:56 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Banks County, Homer to 3 mi of Homer
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.280, -83.500
Hail, Lumpkin
- When
- April 3, 9:09 PM EST
- Where
- Lumpkin County, Dahlonega
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 34.530, -83.980
Hail, Coweta
- When
- April 3, 9:10 PM EST
- Where
- Coweta County, 4 mi N of Newnan
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.420, -84.800
Hail, Fayette
- When
- April 3, 9:20 PM EST
- Where
- Fayette County, Fayetteville
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.450, -84.450
Hail, Upson
- When
- April 3, 9:20 PM EST
- Where
- Upson County, Thomaston
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.900, -84.330
Hail, Clayton
- When
- April 3, 9:20 PM EST to 9:26 PM EST
- Where
- Clayton County, Jonesboro
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.520, -84.350
Hail, Walton
- When
- April 3, 9:25 PM EST
- Where
- Walton County, Walnut Grove
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.730, -83.850
Hail, Henry
- When
- April 3, 9:25 PM EST to 9:30 PM EST
- Where
- Henry County, Mc Donough
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.450, -84.150
Hail, Morgan
- When
- April 3, 9:30 PM EST
- Where
- Morgan County, Madison
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 33.580, -83.470
Hail, Upson
- When
- April 3, 9:50 PM EST
- Where
- Upson County, 1 mi W of Hannah Mill
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 32.930, -84.370
Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb
- When
- April 3, 10:20 PM EST
- Where
- Bibb County, Macon
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 32.820, -83.650
Bibb county 911 reported thunderstorm winds knocked down several trees around the county.
Thunderstorm Wind, Twiggs
- When
- April 3, 10:35 PM EST
- Where
- Twiggs County, Adams Park
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 32.570, -83.520
Twiggs county EMA reported trees and power lines were downed by thundersztorm winds.
Thunderstorm Wind, Bibb
- When
- April 3, 10:45 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
- Where
- Bibb County, Macon
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 32.820, -83.650
The Macon Field Office of GEMA reported thunderstorm winds knocked down trees and power lines countywide.
Thunderstorm Wind, Twiggs
- When
- April 3, 10:50 PM EST
- Where
- Twiggs County, Jeffersonville
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 32.680, -83.350
The sheriff's office reported several trees were downed on highway 80 by thunderstorm winds.
Thunderstorm Wind, Laurens
- When
- April 3, 11:30 PM EST
- Where
- Laurens County, East Dublin
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Coordinates
- 32.550, -82.870
Laurens county 911 reported thunderstorm winds knocked several trees down.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
- 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.
- 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.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- Tornadoes in Tennessee, April 3, 19983 injured · $500,000 · F2 · 2 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Tennessee, April 3 to 8, 1998$581,000 · F1 · 65 events
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$350,000 · F2 · 3 events
- Tornado in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$100,000 · F2 · 1 event
- Tornado in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$250,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Flash Flood and Hail in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$115,000 · 2.75 in hail · 35 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$77,000 · 1.75 in hail · 16 events
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Carolina, April 3, 1998$21,000 · 1.75 in hail · 18 events
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$32,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, April 3, 1998$27,000 · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 3 to 4, 1998$100 · 1.75 in hail · 15 events
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, April 3, 1998$16,000 · 52 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: 5639477, 5639478, 5639118, 5639119, 5639120, 5639121, 5639122, 5639123, 5639124, 5639125, 5639127, 5639126, 5639128, 5639129, 5639130, 5639131, 5639132, 5639134, 5639133, 5639137, 5639135, 5639136, 5639138, 5639273, 5639274, 5639276, 5639277, 5639275, 5639279, 5639283, 5639278, 5639280, 5639281, 5639286, 5639284, 5639393, 5639287, 5639288, 5639282, 5639285, and more.