Hurricane (Typhoon) — South Fulton, Georgia

2005-07-10 to 2005-07-12 · South Fulton, Georgia

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Dennis, which began as a tropical depression near the southern Windward Islands on July 4th quickly gained strength as it tracked west-northwest across the Caribbean. It became a tropical storm on the 5th and a hurricane on the 6th as it moved near the southern end of Haiti. Hurricane Dennis made its first landfall near central Cuba as a category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm emerged into the Gulf of Mexico off the western end of Cuba on July 9th as a category 1 storm, then tracked northwest toward the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Dennis made its U.S. landfall near Pensacola, Florida around 3 pm on July 10th, then tracked north-northwest across western Alabama into northeast Mississippi and western Tennessee on July 11th. The effects of Dennis with respect to flooding were far reaching, especially on the east and north side of the storm. The first outer spiral band affected north and central Georgia during the afternoon and evening of July 9th. Numerous thunderstorms, some with very heavy rain tracked east to west across central and north Georgia. Rainfall amounts of two to four inches were reported on the south and west side of Atlanta. Flash flooding was reported in Carroll county where rainfall exceeded four inches in spots. Several roads were washed out. After a break in the rainfall overnight, widespread rain began to spread into the area from the south late in the morning on the 10th and overspread the entire region by late afternoon. Rainfall during the afternoon and early evening was mostly light to moderate with rainfall amounts prior to 8 pm were generally in the one to two inch range. However, as the evening progressed, the rain became increasingly concentrated in a south-to-north oriented 50-mile wide feeder band. The tropical feeder band set up from near Americus to Chatsworth and persisted over the same areas for a period of 12 to 15 hours. Torrential rainfall amounts fell in areas affected by the feeder band as very heavy tropical showers repeatedly tracked over the same areas. Rainfall amounts of six to eight inches were common within the feeder band, with 10-12 inch rainfall amounts reported across the southern and western portions of the Atlanta metropolitan area. Widespread flash flooding and flooding were reported, especially in Coweta, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, and Cobb counties. Hundreds of roads were washed out and hundreds of homes experienced some degree of flooding, some major. Several rescues were required, particularly in Douglas and Cobb counties.Wind was also a problem, but with the center of the storm tracking some 200 miles to the west of the area, sustained winds were mostly in the 20-25 mph range, with some gusts observed to near 40 mph. A number of counties in west Georgia reported downed trees and power lines, with widespread power outages reported across the region.Overall damage caused by Hurricane Dennis to north and central Georgia was approximately $12,000,000, most of which was the result of flash flooding or flooding. However, nearly $250,000 was attributed to strong winds. One death occurred as a result of strong winds during Hurricane Dennis.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5468268. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.