Hail — Cherokee, Georgia

2005-02-21 · near Canton, Cherokee, Georgia

Event narrative

The Cherokee County Emergency Management Director, along with numerous reports from the public, confirmed that a wide swath of large and very damaging hail fell across much of the central portion of Cherokee county from three miles west of Canton to Hickory Flat, southeast of Canton. There were many reports of hail better than 2.0 inches in diameter, with measured hail stones of 2.75 inches from residents along Georgia Highway 140 near Lower Burris Road in Canton. So much large hail fell, that even 15 hours after the event, hail still lined some streets in the Canton area. The public works department had to be called out to clear ice from roadways. Extensive damage to roofs, vegetation, and automobiles were reported throughout the area. On Liberty Boulevard in the northern section of Canton, three very large car dealerships reported that their entire inventory had been damaged with damages in this area alone around $3.0 million. Over 100 privately owned vehicles were damaged at a Wal Mart parking lot located near this location. The city of Canton Police Department reported damages to their vehicles exceeding $40,000. Total damage estimate to homes, vehicles, and vegetation in the area was $4.5 million. This event ranked as the second most costly hail storm in Cherokee County's history.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5440912. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.