Lightning — Gwinnett, Georgia

2004-06-27 · near Sugar Hill, Gwinnett, Georgia

Event narrative

Several Atlanta news media television stations, along with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that three individuals were killed and six were injured at Buford Dam State Park at the south end of Lake Lanier when lightning strikes hit one or more trees under which the individuals were seeking refuge during a strong thunderstorm. The individuals were standing under a tree-lined parkway connecting a parking lot to a beach at the park. Two males, ages 20 and 29, and one female, age 44, were instantly killed by the lightning strike. Six others with the group were injured. The incident occurred at 318 pm EDT. This was not the only lightning related incident in the county, however. Four homes in the county were struck by lightning and set on fire. The fires were contained quickly and damage was minimal.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (32.4833, -84.9667)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5409290. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.