Georgia, 1999

Tornadoes and Hail in Georgia, April 15, 1999

April 15, 1999 · NWS FFC · 9 events in 6 counties and zones

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado, 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
28
Property damage
$10 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
9

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), 92 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Walton

When
April 15, 5:10 AM EST
Where
Walton County, 2 mi SE of Monroe
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
33.770, -83.700

A spotter reported quarter size hail.

Hail, Sumter

When
April 15, 8:53 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Sumter County, Americus to Andersonville
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.070, -84.230

Several reports from the public and the sheriff indicated hail from quarter size to golfball size fell in central and northeast Sumter county.

Tornado, Dooly

When
April 15, 9:20 AM EST to 9:30 AM EST
Where
Dooly County, Drayton to 2 mi ENE of Vienna
Rating
F3
Path length
14.5 mi
Path width
700 yd
Injuries
28 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10 million
Reported by
NWS STORM SURVEY
Coordinates
32.050, -83.970

An NWS Storm survey showed the tornado touched down along highway 27 at the Flint River near Drayton. The tornado hopped eastward along highway 27, demolishing pecan orchards and barns, before devastating the town of Vienna. It exited the town between 2 schools, with only minor damage to either. It later crossed I-75 between Georgia highways 27 and 215, blocking the Interstate with debris. The storm lifted a short distance east of there between Noble Gin Road and Smyrna Church Road. The EMA director said 25 percent of homes and businesses were destroyed or severely damaged. Of the 28 injuries the most serious was a broken leg. Newspaper accounts reported 69 houses, 15 mobile homes, and 9 businesses were destroyed. Another 256 homes, 12 churches, 10 mobile homes, and 6 businesses suffered damage. Three apartment complexes were ruined and 70 power poles were ripped from the ground. Around 400 people were left homeless in a town with a population of over 2700.

Thunderstorm Wind, Treutlen

When
April 15, 11:15 AM EST to 11:25 AM EST
Where
Treutlen County, Lothair to Soperton
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.350, -82.650

Hail, Treutlen

When
April 15, 11:15 AM EST to 11:25 AM EST
Where
Treutlen County, Lothair to Soperton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.350, -82.650

The Treutlen county EMA reported 4 trees knocked down in Lothair and 7 in Soperton. He also reported mothball to golf ball size hail.

Tornado, Emanuel

When
April 15, 11:45 AM EST to 11:50 AM EST
Where
Emanuel County, Stillmore to 4 mi of Stillmore
Rating
F0
Path length
4 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.400, -82.270

The Emanuel county 911 center reported a few trees down and hail of unknown size in Stillmore. They received numerous reports from the public and county sheriff deputies of a funnel cloud in the Oak Park area There were public reports of a tornado between Oak Park and Stillmore, with possible damage to a trailer. Radar signatures indicated rotation strong enough to produce a brief tornado touchdown. The F0 intensity as well as the path length and width were estimated. The same storm cell may have later produced a tornado in Candler county.

Thunderstorm Wind, Dodge

When
April 15, 12:15 PM EST
Where
Dodge County, 5 mi W of Eastman
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.200, -83.270

The public reported a barn blown down by thunderstorm winds.

Hail, Treutlen

When
April 15, 1:15 PM EST
Where
Treutlen County, Soperton
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
32.380, -82.600

The public reported quarter to golf ball size hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Treutlen

When
April 15, 1:15 PM EST
Where
Treutlen County, Soperton
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
32.380, -82.600

Treutlen county 911 reported trees blown down.

What these are

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.
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.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Georgia in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Georgia, 1999Warnings in Georgia, April 1999

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: 5686391, 5686392, 5686494, 5686495, 5686496, 5686497, 5687390, 5687391, 5687392.