Strong Wind — Rockdale, Georgia

2013-02-26 · Rockdale, Georgia

Event narrative

The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office reported that a large pine tree fell on a pickup truck traveling on Interstate 20 between Sigman Road and the DeKalb County line, killing the occupant. This accident resulted in a multiple-car pileup, as at least six other cars were involved in crashes as they tried to avoid the truck and the tree. The winds at the time were east at 15 to 20 MPH with gusts to 30 MPH and were associated with a wake low pressure gradient. Saturated soils due to recent heavy rainfall contributed to the tree falling.

Wider weather episode

Early on the 26th, an area of low pressure was located in the MidSouth, with a cold front stretching south across eastern Mississippi and a warm front stretching southeast toward the Georgia/Florida border. The warm front lifted north through the day as the cold front pushed east. Another round of significant heavy rainfall occurred during the morning hours, and the rain-cooled air behind the rainfall led to the development of a wake low across eastern Alabama. As this low moved across Georgia, winds increased enough to bring down isolated trees, especially since the soils were saturated as a result of the recent rains. One tree fell on a car, killing the occupant.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 428333. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.