Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 20, 2000

The Catoosa county Sheriff's office reported to the Rome News Tribune that numerous trees and powerlines were blown down countywide. Trees fell on power lines, and blocked roads in many instances. There was also one report of a tree falling on and damaging a vehicle. Power outages were widespread in the county because of the large number of trees and power lines knocked down by the strong thunderstorm winds.

County 911 dispatchers reported to the Rome News Tribune that trees and power lines were down countywide. Consequently, nearly the entire county was reported to have been without power during the height of the evening thunderstorm.

The Walker County Messenger, the Rome News Tribune, and ham radio operators reported trees and power lines down countywide. Numerous roads were blocked by fallen trees and limbs. In addition, a vehicle was damaged on Steele Street in Lafayette when a large tree limb fell on it. A billboard was blown down on U.S. Highway 27 in Noble, and a number of other smaller signs were also blown down.

A storm spotter report was relayed through the Morristown, TN National Weather Service office indicating that roof damage was sustained to the roof of the Piney Grove Baptist Church at the intersection of Burkhalter Gap Road and Lookout Mountain Scenic Highway. The spotter also spotted a funnel cloud in the same general area. In Trenton, an amateur radio operator reported 2 medium size trees down.

The Rome Daily News, the Marietta Daily Journal, the public, and amateur radio operators reported widespread tree and power line damage countywide. Trees were reported down on homes, a vehicle, and power lines, and were blocking several roads, especially in Rome. A house on Lakeview Drive in the Garden Lakes community sustained significant damage when a large oak tree fell on the roof. The handrail of the St. Peter's Episcopal Church was damaged when a tree fell on the front steps. A van was also damaged significantly when a large oak tree fell on it during the thunderstorm. There was also a report of damage to the awning and carport of one house in Rome and some windows were blown out of one house about 8 miles south of Rome.

The Rome News Tribune reported that trees and power lines were down countywide.

The Polk county 911 center and the Rome News Tribune reported trees and power lines down countywide.

The Cartersville Daily News Tribune, the Marietta Daily Journal, and the public reported numerous trees down, some on roads and power lines, throughout the county. Some of the hardest hit areas were Cartersville, Atco, and the Apache Woods subdivision near Lake Allatoona. One tree damaged an outbuilding in Cartersville and another damaged a house. A woman, traveling on West Avenue in Cartersville during the height of the storm, was lucky to escape injury when a large tree and power line fell on her car.

Amateur radio operators reported trees down along Old Ridgeway Road and Morgan Road between Buchanan and Waco. The public reported trees down on a mobile home in Waco.

The public and an amateur radio operator reported numerous trees down throughout the city of Dalton and just east of Dalton in the Lakeview Estates area. The Dalton Public Works Department reported that about 12 homes were damaged in Dalton when trees fell on them.

A variety of sources, including the Georgia Emergency Management Association, an amateur radio operator, local Atlanta TV stations, and the general public, reported downed trees, power lines, and structural damage throughout Paulding county. Most of the damage was concentrated from Dallas to Hiram near Georgia Highways 6 and 92. In addition to the numerous reports of downed trees and power lines, 8 buildings sustained minor damage near the intersection of Harris Road and Georgia Highway 6, the siding was blown off a house on Georgia Highway 92 near the Paulding/Cobb county line, and a large pine tree damaged a house chimney near the Carroll county line north of Villa Rica.

The public and an amateur radio operator reported numerous trees down across mainly the eastern half of the county from Villa Rica, to Carrollton, to Whitesburg.

The Canton Cherokee Tribune and the public reported numerous trees down across mainly the western half of Cobb county from Acworth, to Kennesaw, to Powder Springs, and westward to the Paulding county line. Most of the damage was sustained in the Apache Woods subdivision of Acworth where a 1 foot diameter tree fell through a roof causing significant damage to the structure. Numerous other trees were reported down in this subdivision as well. Another subdivision hard hit was the English Oaks subdivision of Kennesaw where numerous trees were downed by the thunderstorm winds.

The Douglasville County Sentinel and the public reported numerous trees down countywide. The county Emergency Management Association estimated that 75 to 100 trees were damaged in the county. A house was significantly damaged in Winston when a tree fell through the roof. There were many reports of trees down on the roofs of homes and on power lines throughout the county.

The LaGrange Daily News reported trees and power lines down countywide.

The LaGrange Daily News and the Troup county 911 center reported widespread major damage throughout the county. Trees and power lines were down countywide. It was estimated that $20,000 damage was done to a grounds maintenance equipment building at the Troup-Callaway Airport. A four-wheel truck and tractor parked next to the building were also damaged when a wall of the building fell on them. Several homes, particularly in the southern portion of the county south of Interstate 85, were damaged when trees fell on them. A car was totaled when a large oak tree fell on it. Other trees in the same area crashed through the roofs of homes, caused other less significant vehicle damage, and broke down a fence. The winds were reported to be so strong that an employee at a hardware store reported that pallets were blowing across the parking lot.

The La Grange Daily News reported that lightning caused an estimated $100,000 damge to a house on Riverbend Road, caused another house fire at the corner of Mooty Bridge Road and John Harris Road, and destroyed two backup electrical generators at the City Hall.

The Newnan Times Herald reported that lightning struck and destroyed a vacant mobile home in the Sweetbriar Mobile Home Park at Collinsworth Road and Interstate 85 in extreme northeast Coweta county. Neighbors reported seeing the lightning strike a pine tree adjacent to the mobile home. The current traveled from the tree to the mobile home, thus setting it on fire. No injuries were reported.

The public reported that strong thunderstorms winds blew the guttering off a house in College Park.

The public and an amateur radio operator reported dime to golfball size hail.

The public reported two trees down on Ashford Knoll Road in North Atlanta and a metal shed blown off its foundation a mile south of Cedar Grove in southwest DeKalb county.

The public reported lots of trees down.

The Columbus Enquirer and the public reported numerous trees down countywide, with some on roads and power lines. At least 16 trees were reported down along Chattsworth Road in Columbus, and a large tree blocked traffic at 14th Street and Third Avenue in downtown Columbus. A storm spotter in Columbus clocked the winds at 73 mph with a hand-held Davis turbometer, while the ASOS at the Columbus airport clocked the winds at 53 mph.

The Fayette county 911 center reported trees down on a road and one tree down on a house.

The Manchester Star Mercury reported that a Greenville woman was injured when a tree fell on the vehicle she was driving during the thunderstorm. The Manchester Public Works Department also reported numerous trees down just north of Manchester.

The Talbot county 911 center reported at least one tree down, but several power lines down throughout the county.

The public reported that several trees and power lines were blown down. There were also reports received of cars being blown off the road by the strong thunderstorm winds.

The Upson county Emergency Management Director, the public, and amateur radio operators reported numerous trees and power lines down from Henrick to Thomaston. Much of the damage was reported along Georgia Highway 75 near Pleasant Valley Road where 10 to 15 trees were down. The public estimated wind gusts from 55 to 70 mph on the west side of Thomaston.

The Macon Telegraph reported some downed limbs and trees across Crawford county.

The Macon Telegraph reported a few limbs and some trees blown down across Monroe county.

The public reported numerous trees and power lines down.

Amateur radio operators relayed a report of a structural fire caused by lightning. Little information was known about the type or extent of the damage.

Amateur radio operators relayed a report of trees down across the western and southern parts of Spalding county, especially in the Orchard Hill area.

The Macon Telegraph, the public, a former NWS employee, and amateur radio operators reported numerous trees down in the Macon area. One vehicle was destroyed and another severely damaged in Macon when large trees fell on them. A house was also damaged in Macon when a large tree fell on the roof. Trees were reported down on power lines and roads. The strong wind was also responsible for blowing a window out of a downtown Macon building. Winds at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in Macon were clocked at 52 mph.

A former NWS employee reported trees and large limbs down around his house in Centerville caused by estimated 60 mph winds. A tree was reported down on a power line and in a parking lot at the Warner Robbins Air Force Base and a roof was damaged in Perry, where winds were also estimated to be 60 mph.

The Macon Telegraph reported that a home was completely destroyed in unincorporated Houston county. There were no injuries reported since the house was vacant at the time.

The Twiggs county 911 center reported lots of trees and power lines down across the county.

The Bleckley county 911 center reported trees down countywide.

The Ben Hill Herald Leader reported that thunderstorms winds, estimated at 50 mph, knocked down numerous trees and power lines around the county, particularly in the Rochelle, Pitts, and Cedar Creek areas. On County Road 24, a large oak tree was blown down knocking several power lines down along with it. The downed power lines sparked several grass fires. The local cooperative observer for the NWS in Abbeville indicated that an awning was blown off the front porch of a mobile home as well.

The Ben Hill Herald-Leader reported that a lightning strike started a fire at a logging operation on Pineview Road which destroyed a fuel trailer with two tanks, an equipment trailer, and a log truck.

The Cordele Dispatch reported trees down along the main body of Lake Blackshear across the western part of the county.