Tropical Storm — Mcduffie, Georgia

2024-09-27 · Mcduffie, Georgia

Event narrative

Significant tree and power line damage observed through the entire county. Falling trees and wind caused substantial structural damage across the county. At least 461 homes sustained some level of damage including 51 destroyed and 93 with major damage. Many roads were closed and power outages were widespread. Max winds at Thomson-McDuffie Airport were 31 kts sustained (36 mph) and gusts to 52 kts (60 mph) before the observation was lost. Minimum recorded mean sea level pressure at Thomson-McDuffie Airport was 977.0 mb. A mesonet site south of Dearing observed a gust to 61 mph. NWS storm survey team estimated max wind gusts around 80-90 mph. Four fatalities occurred in the county. A mother and her twin infants died when a tree fell on their mobile home in Thomson. Areas of flooding observed with 2 day CoCoRaHS rain gage totals northeast of Thomson near Carl Sanders Hwy measuring 8.65 inches and south of Thomson measuring 7.92 inches.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Helene formed in the NW Caribbean Sea on September 24. Helene moved northward into the Gulf of Mexico where it strengthened into a hurricane on September 25. Helene made landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend area of Florida the night of September 26 before quickly moving inland into east central Georgia by early morning on September 27. Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm and produced widespread significant wind damage, including wind gusts above 100 mph across east central Georgia and central South Carolina as well as numerous tornadoes. Numerous fatalities and injuries were reported associated with the passage of Helene.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1207968. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.