Tropical Storm — Columbia, Georgia

2024-09-27 · Columbia, Georgia

Event narrative

Significant and widespread tree and power line damage across the county. Vast majority of the county lost power for an extended period of time and many roads were closed. Falling trees and wind caused substantial structural damage across the county. At least 5103 homes sustained some level of damage including 248 destroyed and 2538 with major damage. Max wind gust observed was 62 mph at a GADOT mesonet site along I-20 north of Grovetown. NWS storm survey estimated max wind gusts were between 80 to 100+mph. Areas of flooding were observed with two day rain totals exceeding 10 inches. Maximum measured 2 day rainfall was 12.37 inches near Evans. A man in Grovetown died when a tree fell on his mobile home.

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 1207973. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.