Strong Wind in Georgia, April 2, 2005

An unusually strong, late winter/early spring cold front moved through the area early in the day, bringing strong and gusty northwest winds to the region, along with some snow and sleet showers early in the day. The strong winds, combined with wet ground from heavy rain during the previous week, caused several trees to be blown down. Some of the trees also took down power lines. The strongest winds affected the northern portion of the state. Some of the details are provided below. (Unless otherwise noted, the information was provided by the respective county's 911 center.)Banks: Several trees and power lines down, scattered about the countywide.Barrow: Fourteen trees and several power lines down, scattered about the county. One tree fell on a mobile home, completely destroying one side. (Estimated Damage: $20,000)Butts: One tree down in the northern portion of the county. (Estimated Damage: $250)Catoosa: Five trees were down on power lines, scattered about the county. Several power outages were reported. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Clarke: Several trees and power lines were down throughout the county. Trees fell on two separate vehicles, causing minor injuries to the drivers of these vehicles. In addition, at least three mobile homes were damaged by downed trees. (Estimated Damage: $25,000)Clayton: A couple of trees down in the Morrow area. (Estimated Damage: $500)Coweta: Several trees down, scattered about the county. Some roadways blocked. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Cobb: Several trees and power lines down countywide. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)Dade: Four trees and power lines down across mainly the north and central part of the county. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Dawson: Several trees and power lines down, scattered about the county. Power lines down mainly because of trees that had fallen on them. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)DeKalb: Numerous trees were blown down throughout the county. The county 911 center took at least 34 reports of downed trees in the county. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)Fayette: A couple of trees down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $500)Floyd: A couple of trees down, one fell on a home on Woodbine Avenue causing significant damage to the home. (Estimated Damage: $25,000)Forsyth: Sixteen trees and nine power lines were blown down, scattered about the county. In addition, a picnic pavillion was damaged at Eagle Point. (Estimated Damage: $10,000)Fulton: One tree down on Buris Court. (Estimated Damage: $250)Gordon: Five trees and a couple of power line down, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Greene: A few trees down, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage $1,000)Gwinnett: Several trees and power lines down countywide. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)Hall: Dozens of trees and power lines down throughout the county. Numerous trees on power lines. Many areas left without power. (Estimated Damage: $15,000)Henry: Four trees and ten power lines down, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)Jackson: A number of trees and power lines down throughout the county. The Braselton gazebo, which houses the 85-year old bell from the former Braselton High School, collapsed after strong winds hit the structure. In addition, a large highway sign on Interstate-85 was also destroyed by the high winds. (Estimated Damage: $50,000)Jasper: A couple of trees down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $500)Jefferson: A large tree was blown down in the Hidden Lakes Subdivision. An adjacent car sustained minor damage. (Estimated Damage: $2,500)Madison: Many trees and power lines down throughout the county. (Estimated Damage: $10,000) Lumpkin: Several trees down scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Oconee: Several trees and nine power lines down, scattered about the county. Two mobile homes were damaged when trees fell on them. (Estimated Damage: $15,000)Oglethorpe: Many trees and power lines down throughout the county. One of the downed power lines started a small brush fire, but no damage to any structures or buildings resulted. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)Polk: A few trees and power lines down in the county. A large 75-year old oak tree fell onto a home. The porch was crushed and the tree also smashed through the roof into the living room causing damage to several pieces of furniture in the room. In addition, a neighbor's vehicle was also damaged. (Estimated Damage: $30,000)Putnam: Three trees down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $750)Rockdale: Twenty trees were reported down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $4,000)Spalding: Four trees down and a couple of power lines, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $2,000)Union: A few trees down across the southern portion of the county. (Estimated Damage: $1,000)Walker: Nine trees and power lines were down scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $3,000)Walton: Nineteen trees and several power lines were down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $5,000)White: Four trees reported down, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $1,000)Whitfield: Eleven trees and a couple of power lines were down, scattered about the county. (Estimated Damage: $3,000)Wilkes: Approximately 12 trees were down within the county. (Estimated Damage: $3,000)