Tornadoes and Flooding in Georgia, April 7 to 8, 2006

The Floyd County 911 Center reported quarter-sized hail north of Armuchee and the public reported nickel-sized hail in Armuchee.

The Dade County Emergency Management Director reported penny to quarter-sized hail.

The public reported nickel to quarter-sized hail in the Ringgold area, while amateur radio operators reported penny-sized hail in the Fort Oglethorpe area.

The Walker County Emergency Management Director observed nickel-sized hail.

The Dade County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail in the far southern part of the county.

The public reported nickel-sized hail.

Numerous reports of penny to quarter-sized hail were received from the public across the central portin of Whitfield county from Mill Creek to Dawnville, including a number in the Dalton area.

Numerous reports of hail ranging in size from pennies to quarters were received from the public from Chatsworth, Eton, and north of Ramhurst. One report of golf ball-sized hail was received from the public in Chatsworth. In addition, an amateur radio operator reported nickel-sized hail near Eton and estimated wind gusts at 66 mph.

Several reports were received from the public across the county from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of hail ranging in size from pennies to nickels, with one golf ball-size hail report five miles east of Calhoun.

The Gordon County 911 Center reported that at least 10 trees were down around the county from the southwest corner to the northeast corner.

The Haralson Gateway Beacon reported that lightning ignited several fires around the county. The most significant ones destroyed two outbuildings, one on Kings's Ginn Road and another on Georgia Highway 120. Both structures were declared a total loss. The second outbuilding also housed a four-wheeler, tractors, and other outside equipment, all of which was destroyed by the fire.

Numerous reports of hail, ranging in size from pennies to quarters, were received from the public and the Gilmer County 911 Center from Ellijay, to Cartecay, to Pisgah, on the far eastern border of the county. Penny to quarter-sized hail was reported from Ellijay to Cartecay, while nickel-sized hail was reported in the Pisgah area.

The Floyd County Emergency Management Director reported that numerous trees and power lines were blown down along Georgia Highway 53 in the Shannon area of northeast Floyd county. Eleven structures were damaged and at least 9000 customers were left without power for up to 12 hours or more.

A survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, GA, concluded that an F0 tornado had touched down four miles south of Cedartown and tracked southeast to a point five miles southeast of Cedartown. About a dozen homes were damaged along the path of the tornado, mostly from downed trees. A female at a doublewide mobile home south of Cedartown suffered a broken hand when a tree fell through the home. Several power lines were also down in the area. In addition, several outbuildings were damaged, including a greenhouse, and porches were blown off two homes five miles southeast of Cedartown. Much of the damage occurred in the vicinity of Young Farms Road, Aragon Road, and between Georgia Highway 100 and Antioch Road. This tornado was rated an F0 with an approximate path length of 5.0 miles and a path width of 50 to 100 yards.

The Haralson Gateway Beacon reported that 50 to 75 trees were blown down by thunderstorm winds throughout the county, mostly across the western portion of the county. The Haralson County 911 Center reported that many trees were blown down throughout the county. A trailer was also turned over and several outbuildings were damaged.

A survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a second tornado, this one an F2, touched down one mile northwest of Rockmart and traveled to the east approximately three miles, terminating at a point around two miles east-northeast of Rockmart. Over two dozen homes along the path of the tornado were destroyed. A young child was injured at one of the damaged homes when sheet rock and rafters fell on the couch where he was sleeping. Over three dozen outbuildings were also heavily damaged or destroyed. A carport was blown off one home northwest of Rockmart and five coal cars were completely blown off a railroad track in the Rockmart area and left lying on their side, while an 18-wheel truck trailer was also blown over in the same general area. Finally, minor damage was reported to the roof of the Rockmart Highschool and especially to the athletic fields. Hundreds of trees and dozens of power lines were blown down along the path of the tornado. A total of 700 residents were left without power for many hours following the storm. The tornado was determined to have a path length of approximately 3.0 miles with a path width of 50 to 100 yards.Overall tornado damage from the two tornadoes in Polk county netted:30 homes with minor damage.2 homes destroyed.60 outbuildings heavily damaged or destroyed.Minor damage to the Rockmart Highschool and athletic facility.700 customers without power.Extensive loss to timber in the area

Numerous reports of nickel-sized hail were provided to the Bartow County 911 center by the public. The hail affected much of the central and southern portion of the county, including the Cartersville area.

Amateur radio operators, the public, and an off duty weather observer for the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport reported that many trees were down throughout much of central, east central, and southeast Paulding county. This included areas northwest of Dallas, Dallas, and New Hope. Tree damage was observed along Georgia Highway 92 between Dallas , Hiram, and the southeast corner of the county, on Braswell Mountain Road, and on Due West and Bobo Roads. At least eight homes in the Steeple Chase area, in the Due West and Bobo Road areas near New Hope, sustained minor roof damage or siding damage. The observer from the Atlanta airport estimated the wind gusts at 60 mph.

The Gilmer County 911 Center and the Cherokee County Emergency Manager, who conducted a survey in Gilmer county, concluded that thunderstorm winds had caused minor damage to trees throughout mainly the southern portion of the county.

The public reported quarter-sized hail.

A survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a two segmented F0 tornado traveled across central Cobb county. The tornado path consisted of two segments, one an approximately two-mile wide path beginning in western Cobb county near the community of Due West, and the second segment beginning in eastern Cobb county in the heart of Marietta traveling a brief 0.5 mile-long path across U.S. Highway 41 and Interstate-75. The tornado first touched down near Due West Road and Georgia Highway 120 and traveled to a point approximately 2-miles east of this point, or from about eight miles west to six miles west of Marietta. Approximately five homes in the Corn Lake area sustained minor damage from downed trees while a sixth home in the same subdivision sustained major damage. The second segment of the tornado touched down in the heart of Marietta near the intersection of U.S. Highway 41/Cobb Parkway and Roswell Street and traveled eastward about 0.5 mile terminating just east of Interstate-75. Minor damage was reported to a couple of shopping centers in the area near the intersection of Roswell Road, Frey's Gin Road, and Frey's Gin Court. Damage in this area was confined mainly to downed or damage trees. From here, the tornado continued approximately 0.5 mile east-southeast along or near Wylie Road across Interstate-75 and terminated just past the Harry's Crossing Shopping center on the edge of a residential area. The damage along the path was sporadic. The most significant damage in this area was to a business that sold playground equipment. Several of the large wooden frame structures were moved around and one tossed into a row of trees. Very minor damage was noted within the Harry's Crossing Shopping Center. The final damage with this tornado appeared to be to several large trees in the adjacent residential area along Blanche Road and Charles Avenue. A total of 100 trees were either damaged or blown down along the second path of this tornado. The first tornado path was 2-miles long and 50 yards wide, while the second tornado path was 0.5 mile long and 50 yards wide.

The Pickens County 911 Center and the Cherokee County Emergency Management Director, conducting a damage survey in Pickens county, concluded that thunderstorm winds had blown down a few trees in western Pickens county off Matthews Road.

A survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA concluded that a second and stronger F1 tornado affected far northern Cobb county and continued eastward into North Fulton county. The tornado touched down in the Noonday community or about seven miles north of Marietta just south of the intersection fo Canton Road/Georgia Highway 5 and Jamerson Road and traveled east a more or less continuous 18-mile long path into North Fulton county. Substantial damage was reported to homes and trees at the tornado's initial touchdown point in the Jamerson subdivision. At least 60 homes in the Jamerson subdivision sustained damage, 10 with major damage and 50 with minor damage. In addition, at least 200 trees were down in this area. Intermittent damage continued eastward from this point toward North Fulton county. Minor damage was reported to several homes in the Sweat Mountain area just before the tornado crossed into North Fulton county. Within Cobb county, this tornado traveled a 7-mile long path with a path width of anywhere from 10 to 200 yards. The overall path length of this tornado, including both Cobb and Fulton counties, was 18-miles long.Cobb county officials reported that tornado damage in the county consisted of:13 residences destroyed75 residences with major damage57 residences with minor damage38 residences affected1 commercial property destroyed10 commercial property with major damage16 commercial property with minor damage1 commercial property affected825 trees down30 roads impacted because of downed trees and power linescosting Cobb County $122,000

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported quarter-sized hail four miles southeast of Canton while the public reported penny-sized hail in Canton.

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director reported that 35 homes sustained minor to moderate damage along a 2-mile wide path from downtown Woodstock to seven miles east of Woodstock. Two additional homes were damaged southwest of Canton, where a substantial portion of the roof was blown off one home seven miles southwest of Canton. Debris from the damaged homes near Woodstock was found on Interstate-575 at Exit 16, causing the interstate to be closed until the debris could be cleared from the roadway.

A storm survey conducted by the National Weather Service in Peachtree City, GA determined that the F1 tornado that began near Noonday in Cobb county continued eastward marking out a path approximately 11-miles long across North Fulton county. Considerable damage was noted just south of Crabapple where a car wash and detail shop was destroyed, a gas station suffered major damage, and a nearby strip mall suffered minor damage. Hundreds of trees were blown down along Rucker Road. The damage continued eastward into the Alpharetta area where 40 homes were damaged by downed trees, five of which sustained major damage. A dental building in Alpharetta also suffered major damage when a downed tree caused damage to the sprinkler system, flooding the building with thousands of gallons of water causing major damage to the historic building. All-in-all, local newspapers reported that 149 homes in Fulton county sustained moderate to serious damage, some of which were a total loss. Within Fulton county, the tornado had a path length of 11 miles with a path width ranging from 10 to 200 yards. The entire path length of this tornado, including Cobb and Fulton counties, was 18-miles long.

The Douglas County Sentinel of Douglasville reported that at least 25 trees were blown down at one residence on Cowan Mill Road in the southwest part of the county.

Two reports of quarter-sized hail were received from the public, one in the Coal Mountain area and another on the northwest side of Lake Lanier.

The public measured a wind gust of 62 mph on a home weather instrument. Several small and large trees were also blown down in the area by the strong winds. Pea-sized hail was also observed in the area at the time. Further southwest in the Brookwood area near the Fulton county line, more than 30 trees were uprooted or snapped off. A number of power lines were down in the same area and several homes sustained roof damage. The public also reported damage to large sections of a metal and rock fence at the Laurel Springs Subdivision on Mathis Airport Road between Paddock Parkway and Laurel Springs Parkway in southern Forsyth county, near Brookwood. The thunderstorm that caused this damage was the same storm that spawned the tornado that traveled across northern Cobb and northern Fulton counties.

The Hall County Emergency Management Director reported that thunderstorm winds caused damage to the roofs of several floating docks and floating walkways at the Aqualand Marina on the southeast end of Lake Lanier. The public reported that two large trees were blown over at a home between Oakwood and Flowery Branch and a freezer was knocked over at the same location. Another report from the public indicated that at least eight trees were down five miles south of Gainesville with minor building damage observed.

The public reported extensive damage to trees and homes in the Oak View Court area northeast of Lilburn between Beaver Ruin Road and Pleasant Hill Road, north of Lawrenceville Highway. Ten homes were damaged from downed trees, with tree and minor non-structural property damage reported at a total of 35 residences. A number of large 75 to 100 foot trees were down, including several 100-year-old Oak trees. Power lines were also down in the area. Several roads were blocked by fallen trees and power lines during the height of the storm. A storm spotter estimated winds in the Grayson area just to the east at 60 mph.

The Walton County 911 Center reported that a few trees were down.

The Jackson County 911 Center reported that several trees and power lines were down.

A damage survey conducted by the Banks County Emergency Management Director and the National Weather Service concluded that a brief F0 tornado touched down just north of Interstate-85 at 363 Dodd Road (which parallels the interstate) completely destroying one chicken house and removing another from its foundation. Large pieces of metal from the chicken house were wrapped around an adjacent silo.

The Muscogee County 911 Center reported that a few roads were under water from rainfall of 2.0 to 3.0 inches which fell during the mid and late morning hours.

The public reported penny-sized hail. Several large limbs were also broken out of oak trees in the area.

The public reported nickel-sized hail in the southwest part of Schley county and penny-sized hail in Ellaville.

The public reported nickel-sized hail.

The regional 911 center for Macon county relayed a report of nickel-sized hail or larger.

The Dooly County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail.

The Dooly County Emergency Management Director reported that the roof was blown of the office of a funeral home located near Interstate-75.

The public reported that two to three trees were blown down and several tents at a local festival.

The public reported penny-sized hail.

The Telfair County Emergency Management Director reported quarter-sized hail.

The public reported quarter-sized hail in extreme northwest Wheeler county near the Telfair/Dodge county line north of Little Ocmulgee State Park. Another report from the public indicated that nickel-sized hail had fallen in this same area, just north of McRae. The Wheeler County 911 Center reported that nickel-sized hail had fallen in eastern Wheeler county around Glenwood. The Macon Telegraph reported that nickel-sized hail was reported in the area.

The Webster County 911 Center reported that one dirt road was flooded and under water and had to be closed.

The public reported penny-sized hail in the Gainesville area.

The Toombs County Emergency Management Director reported half-dollar to golf ball-sized hail in far southern Toombs county south of Cedar Crossing. Golf ball-sized hail damaged at least 10 percent of the cabbage crop with an estimated damage to crops of $5,000 alone. The Macon Telegraph reported that nickel-sized hail was observed in the area.