Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Georgia, April 15 to 16, 2011

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that extensive damage to trees in the south part of Rome toward Lindale was the result of strong straight-line thunderstorm winds, estimated to be on the order of 80 mph. Up to 100 trees were uprooted or blown over in this area. Two dozen homes sustained moderate to major damage. One home was crushed by a very large tree which fell right across the middle of the structure. In addition, at least five roads across the county were also closed as a result of downed trees.

The Floyd County Emergency Management Director and the public observed quarter-sized hail on the southeast and east side of Rome. The combination of the hail and strong winds of 70 to 80 mph resulted in significant damage to homes and vehicles throughout the area. Although smaller pea-sized hail fell in Lindale, it completely covered the ground.

The Bartow County 911 Center reported that dozens of trees were blown down in the Adairsville area. In addition, a large pole barn on Doris Road in Adairsville was flattened by the strong thunderstorm wind gusts. An off duty National Weather Service meteorologist estimated wind gusts to be on the order of 60 mph along Interstate-75 east of Adairsville near mile marker 305. One tree was down near mile marker 306 on Interstate-75 blocking one of the northbound lanes.

An amateur radio operator relayed a report of ping-pong ball-sized hail near Adairsville. The public observed penny-sized hail covering the ground east of Adairsville. WSR-88D radar data suggests that penny to quarter-sized hail likely occurred across much of northwest and north central Bartow county from west of Adairsville to Folsom.

Several reports of hail, ranging in size from pennies to half-dollars, were received from the public across the southeast part of Gordon county from just south of Sonoraville along the Bartow county line to just east-northeast of Fairmount.

The Gordon County 911 Center reported widespread damage to trees and power lines across the southeast part of the county from Sonoraville to Fairmount and Ranger. At least one home in the area suffered significant damage from several large trees blown down onto the structure. Along U.S. Highway 41N, a portion of a roof of a commercial building was blown off into the adjacent parking lot.

The public observed half-dollar-sized hail across the northwest part of Pickens county.

The Gilmer County Emergency Management Director reported that up to 20 trees were blown down or uprooted across the southern part of the county.

The Whitfield County 911 Center reported that several trees were down across the southern end of the county.

The Union County Emergency Management Director reported that a few trees were down across the southern and southeastern part of the county. Pea-sized hail also covered the ground in parts of Blairsville.

The Murray County 911 Center reported that several trees were down across the southern half of the county.

The Carroll County Emergency Management Director reported penny-sized hail from the northeastern part of the county.

The public observed penny-sized hail around Douglasville. WSR-88D radar data suggests that the intensifying thunderstorm across the county likely produced penny-sized hail from northwest of Fairplay in the southwest part of the county to Lithia Springs in the northeast part of the county.

The Douglas County Emergency Management Director reported that a roof on a building in downtown Douglasville collapsed because of strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Another building in Lithia Springs along Bankhead Highway also had a good portion of its roof torn off by strong thunderstorm wind gusts. In addition, widespread damage to trees and power lines was observed throughout the county from just northwest of Fairplay to Lithia Springs.

The Harris County 911 Center reported widespread damage to trees and power lines across the county. At least a 100 trees were down across the county. The thunderstorm responsible for this damage tracked from just west-southwest of Mountain Hill to the northeast corner of the county, northeast of Pine Mountain Valley. There was a brief EF0 tornado embedded within this that touched down approximately five miles southeast of Hamilton.

The Cobb County 911 Center reported widespread tree and power line damage across the southeast half of the county. Dozens of trees were down within this area. The damage was most concentrated southeast of Marietta and near Smyrna. Trees were down on cars near the intersection of Interstate-285 and Interstate-75 southeast of Marietta.

The public and amateur radio operators observed quarter, golf ball, and baseball-sized hail across the county from Mountain Hill to northeast of Pine Mountain Valley. The largest hail, golf ball to baseball-sized was observed near and just east of Hamilton, decreasing to east of Pine-Mountain Valley.

An amateur radio operator relayed a report of quarter-sized hail just south of Smyrna. Several reports of penny to quarter-sized hail were received from the public across eastern Cobb county near Marietta. The public reported that hail, some as large as quarters, fell east of Marietta near the Fulton county line for up to 10 minutes. The hail completely covered the ground at several locations.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City confirmed that a brief EF0 tornado touched down approximately five miles southeast of Hamilton and tracked east-northeast just 0.43 mile before lifting. The maximum path width was 50 yards with maximum wind speeds of 75 mph. Ten trees along the path of the tornado were topped. In addition, a gazebo and storage shed were destroyed by the tornado. While there was widespread damage to trees and power lines across much of the county, other than the damage noted along this brief path, all of the other damage was the result of strong thunderstorm wind gusts and not a tornado.

[04/15-04/16/11: Tornado #1, County #1-1, EF0, Harris, 2011:007].

The Fulton County Emergency Management Director reported that more than 200 trees were down across the central and northern part of the county, but especially around Sandy Springs. A large oak tree fell on a home in Sandy Springs on Riverview Road causing the house to collapse. A couple inside the structure was trapped for several hours without injury until firefighters could remove the tree and rescue them. The home was essentially destroyed.

The public observed quarter to golf ball-sized hail near and southwest of Sandy Springs in north Fulton county. Hail as large as ping-pong balls was also observed around Roswell.

The Meriwether County Emergency Management Director reported golf ball-sized hail along the southern border of the county near Manchester. This hail was from the same supercell thunderstorm that spawned an EF0 tornado in northeast Harris county and also dumped baseball-sized hail across central and northeast Harris county near Hamilton and Pine Mountain Valley.

An amateur radio operator relayed a report of penny-sized hail from the far northern part of the county around Dunwoody.

The Gwinnett County 911 Center reported that at least two homes in the Norcross area were struck by lightning. One of these, a two-story home, was set on fire and completely destroyed.

Amateur radio operators and the public reported hail up to the size of half-dollars and ping-pong balls, possibly some as large as golf balls, across far northwest and north central Gwinnett county from Norcross, to Sugar Hill and Buford. Several reports of penny to quarter-sized hail were also received from this same general area. WSR-88D radar data suggests that the largest hail likely fell near Norcross.

An amateur radio operator relayed a report of penny-sized hail in the far western portion of Upson county, just north of Sprewell Bluff State Park. WSR-88D radar data suggests that hail of similar size likely fell across much of the county from this point east-northeast to the Lamar county line northeast of The Rock.

The USGS Stream Gage on Sope Creek at Marietta (MARG1) reached its flood stage of 12.0 feet at 11:18 pm on April 15, 2011. The creek remained above flood stage until 3:41 am EDT on April 16, 2011. A vehicle was stranded in flood waters in the eastern part of the county and the basement of a home was flooded on Norman Road in Kennesaw. Otherwise, damage was confined to minor debris removal adjacent to the flooded creek.

The Lamar County 911 Center reported penny-sized hail near Barnesville. WSR-88D radar data suggests that similar-sized hail likely fell from the southwest corner of the county, south of Piedmont, to just southeast of Johnstonville in the east central part of the county.

The DeKalb County 911 Center reported that a large tree fell on a home in North Druid Hills causing significant damage to the structure.

The public observed quarter-sized hail across the east central part of the county near Mount Bethel.

Amateur radio operators relayed reports that dozens of trees were down in the east central part of Cobb county near Mount Bethel. Green Forest Parkway was closed at South Cobb Drive and South Atlanta Road.

The Monroe County Emergency Management Director reported quarter-sized hail near Forsyth. WSR-88D radar data suggests that hail of quarter size likely began falling as the thunderstorm entered the western portion of the county near Collier then likely decreased to penny-size as the thunderstorm weakened and moved just north of Forsyth.

The Gwinnett County 911 Center and the public reported that more than a half-a-dozen trees were either down or snapped half-way-up between Snellville and Lawrenceville.

The Monroe County Emergency Management Director reported that lightning struck a barn near the Butts county line setting the structure on fire. The barn was destroyed as a result.

The public reported that lightning struck a home on Georgia Highway 34 in Franklin setting the house on fire. The house was completely destroyed by the fire.

The USGS Stream Gage on Big Creek at Alpharetta (APHG1) reached its flood stage of 7.0 feet at 10:22 pm EDT on April 15, 2011. The creek remained above flood stage at this location until 2:28 pm on April 17, 2011. However, flash flooding was determined to have ended at 422 am on April 17, 2011. Damage was confined to minor debris removal in the vicinity of the flooded creek.

The USGS stream gage on Big Creek at Cumming reached its flood stage of 6.0 feet at 1150 pm EDT on April 15, 2011. The creek remained above flood stage until 115 pm EDT on April 16, 2011. However, flash flooding was determined to have ended at 550 am EDT on April 16, 2011. Damage was confined to minor debris removal adjacent to the flooded creek, especially along the Alpharetta Greenway.

The Douglas County Emergency Management Director reported that several trees were down across the county from Fairplay to northeast of Douglasville. The most significant damage appeared to be on the west and north side of Douglasville. Several trees were down near the intersection of Georgia Highway 5 and Riley Road. A large tree caused a roof to cave in on a structure located in the 6600 block of Bankhead Highway just southwest of Douglasville.

The Fulton County 911 Center reported that several trees were down in the Palmetto area. A few shingles were also blown off a roof in North Fulton county in the Alpharetta area, but no other tree or structural damage was noted in that area at this time.

The Cobb County Emergency Management Director reported extensive and widespread thunderstorm wind damage across Cobb county from Austell, to Smyrna, to Vinings. The most significant damage was near Austell. In Austell, at least a dozen trees were down affecting five homes. Four of the homes suffered minor to moderate damage, while another suffered minor damage to its roof. The winds also ripped off a portion of the roof of a BJ's Warehouse building near Interstate-20. Wind damage to trees was also observed in the Smyrna area where a spotter measured at least a 52 mph wind gust on personal weather equipment. In Vinings, the public reported that a large sign was ripped off a store at a strip mall on Cobb Parkway with a tree down in the adjacent parking lot. Several power lines were also down between Austell and Vinings, leaving over 1000 people without power. In addition, several roads were blocked from downed trees. Nearly two dozen trees affected roads in eastern Cobb county, including Paces Ferry, Powers Ferry, Kings Ferry, Paper Mill, Cumberland Parkway, Hurt Road, Stillhouse Road, Mabry Road, and Milford Church Road.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that straight-line thunderstorm winds caused minor damage to at least one tree and the roofs of three homes approximately two miles northeast of Fortson. One tree has its top clipped off and three homes suffered minor shingle damage.

The Spalding County 911 Center reported that three to four trees were down from the Pike and Lamar county lines northward to the Griffin area. A tree was down on Audubon Circle, Barnesville Road, and Ninth Street.

A damage survey conducted by the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down within the Fort Benning Military Reservation approximately seven miles east-northeast of the Fort Benning Lawson Army Air Field or about 9.5 miles southeast of Columbus in far northern Chattahoochee county. The tornado was determined to have a path length of 1/4 mile long with a path width of 50 yards. The tornado removed one fourth of the roof and a portion of an exterior wall of a dormitory on the army base. More than a dozen vehicles were tossed, turned, and flipped about by the tornado. In addition, there were approximately 30 trees snapped, blown over, or uprooted along the path of the tornado. There were no injuries and no fatalities from this tornado.

[04/15-04/16/11: Tornado #2, County #1-1, EF1, Chattahoochee, 2011:008].

A damage survey conducted by meteorologists from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City, Georgia confirmed that an EF1 tornado touched down approximately five miles northwest of Macon and tracked 2.5 to 3.5 miles lifting approximately five miles north-northwest of Macon. The tornado tracked through the northern suburbs of Macon between Interstate-475 and Interstate-75, just south of the Monroe county line yet lifting just before reaching the Jones county line. The maximum path width was determined to be 500 yards. The maximum wind in the tornado was determined to be 110 mph. Extensive damage was reported from a largely residential area of Bibb county. From 20 to 25 homes sustained sustained damage. Four of these homes were destroyed and another 10 of these suffered major damage. A motel and an adjacent commercial building suffered roof damage. Two storage buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged. At least 200 trees were uprooted, snapped, or blown over by the tornado. There were no fatalities or injuries reported from this tornado.

[04/15-04/16/11: Tornado #3, County #1-1, EF1, Bibb, 2011:009].