Tropical Storm — Brantley, Georgia

2023-08-30 · Brantley, Georgia

Event narrative

Tropical cyclone winds impacted the county on 8/30. Most noted tropical storm force wind damage occurred

NNE to ESE of Nahunta between Highway 301 and Waynesville during the late morning into the evening. An

NWS Storm Survey reported some trees were blown down along Post Road in the NE portion of the county

due to tropical storm force winds. Hardwood trees were snapped and uprooted along Highway 82 east of

Nahunta as well as along adjoining side roads Knox Road and Pembroke Road. Tree damage extended north

of Nahunta along Laurel Road where several small hardwood trees were snapped and larger trees were

uprooted. A local mentioned a tree had fallen onto a powerline in the area.

At 1150, a mesonet site at the EMA office in Hortense measured a wind gust of 40 mph. At 1245, a mesonet

site in Nahunta measured a wind gust of 40 mph. At 1400, the EMA office in Hoboken measured a wind gust

of 51 mph. The EM reported that Hoboken Elementary school suffered significant roof damage. At 1445, the

mesonet site in Nahunta measured a wind gust of 42 mph. At 1450, a mesonet site measured a wind gust of

55 in Hoboken.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning August 30th around 745 AM EDT along the

Florida Big Bend near Keaton Beach as a category 3, with the inner core moving NE across the

Suwannee River Valley. The inner wind core of Idalia gradually weakened through the morning while,

heavily impacting Suwannee and Hamilton counties in NE Florida and Echols county SE Georgia as the

circulation tracked NE. Widespread tree, power line and structure damage occurred across Suwannee

and Hamilton counties, with estimated winds of 80-100 mph based on damage surveys with isolated

pockets of peak wind gusts near major hurricane strength. Outer rainbands on the eastside of Idalia

impacted all of SE Georgia and NE FL through the day, with early morning tornadoes across coastal SE

Georgia and widespread tropical cyclone wind gusts through the day causing tree damage and power

line damage at least somewhere across NE Florida and SE Georgia. Measured gusts during the peak of

the hurricane acorss the local forecast area were 60-80 mph. Flooding rainfall impacted locations in

the direct path of the weakening inner core across the Suwannee River Valley and southeast Georgia,

especially from eastern Hamilton county toward Baxley and Jesup GA. The peak rainfall amounts were

up to 5-8 inches. At least 3 tornadoes occurred in southeast GA as rainbands swept northwestward

ahead of the hurricane.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1126559. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.