Tropical Storm — Grady, Georgia

2008-08-22 to 2008-08-24 · Grady, Georgia

Event narrative

Rainfall from Fay varied between 15 and 24 inches. Numerous trees and power lines were down throughout the county. Power outages affected 10,000 residents, with 3,000 of those in Cairo. Many county roads were washed out by flood waters. Two dams were breached in Cairo, which destroyed a residential pumpkin patch and mayhaw orchard. A helicopter from Fort Rucker was dispatched to the Thomas-Grady line to rescue a vehicle that washed into Barnett's Creek. Sixteen roads were closed. More than 700 miles of roads were affected by flooding and debris. Many local homes and businesses in Cairo suffered leaks and water damage. Wind and flooding damaged 23 mobile homes and destroyed another; seven single family homes sustained minor damage and 25 were severely damaged. Five public facilities sustained minor damage. Agricultural losses included 50 percent of pecan crops, 25-45 percent of corn crops, and less than 25 percent of cotton crops. A 12-year-old Cairo boy lost his life when he was swept away by flood waters while playing near a drainage ditch. A man trying to save the boy was swept through the dam and nearly drowned. He was in stable condition at a local hospital. A state of emergency was declared by the Governor.

Wider weather episode

Tropical Storm Fay, which came ashore along the northeast Florida coast, moved slowly westward toward the Florida Panhandle from the 22nd through the 24th. The rain bands from Fay produced sustained winds of 25 to 40 mph with frequent gusts over 45 mph. These winds downed numerous trees and power lines throughout most of southwest and south central Georgia. Rainfall amounts associated with the western semicircle of Fay's circulation generally averaged from one to three inches. However, as Fay moved into the Florida Panhandle on the 23rd, it tapped into Gulf of Mexico moisture, which resulted in excessive rainfall on its east side. Storm total rainfall during the 48-hour period from noon on the 22nd through the 24th varied from four to as much as 27.50 inches at Thomasville. Much of this area experienced severe drought conditions, with low stream flows. Nonetheless, the high volume of runoff resulted in minor to moderate flooding on many of the stem rivers and creeks. The maximum sustained wind and peak wind measured was at Bainbridge on the 23rd. The lowest sea-level pressure recorded was 1003 millibars. A motorist was injured in Valdosta when a tree fell on his vehicle. A 12-year-old boy drowned when he was swept away by flood waters while playing near a drainage ditch in Cairo. Many area schools were closed on the 22nd and 25th. Many area farmers were faced with flattened corn crops, bent cotton plants and as many as 600 downed pecan trees. The following counties were declared disaster areas by the Governor: Baker, Berrien, Brooks, Colquitt, Decatur, Early, Grady, Lanier, Lee, Lowndes, Miller, Mitchell, Randolph, Seminole, and Thomas.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 133233. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.