Thunderstorm Wind — Forsyth, Georgia

2008-02-26 · near Drew, Forsyth, Georgia

Event narrative

The Forsyth County Emergency Management Director reported that numerous trees and power lines were down across the southern half of the county. Significant damage to homes was reported in the southern part of the county from near the Fulton county line northeast of Alpharetta to Cumming. Fifteen homes were damaged in this portion of the county, mostly from trees which fell on the structures. Much of the damage was concentrated in the area along Atlanta Highway, Georgia Highway 9 in the southern portion of the county and along Georgia Highway 400 near McFarland Road. The winds blew in the door of a fire station near McFarland Road. A total of 30 homes within the county sustained some damage.

Wider weather episode

A deep upper trough was moving from the mid-south toward the southeast U.S. early on the 26th. A strong cold front accompanied the upper system. A squall line of thunderstorms developed after midnight on the 25th across Mississippi and Alabama and reached the Georgia/Alabama border around 5 am EST. The line of thunderstorms intensified and bowed out just as it was moving in Georgia during the early morning hours. Wind gusts in excess 60 mph affected many counties as these thunderstorms rolled through the area during the early morning hours, causing extensive wind damage to trees, power lines, and some structures from the west and northwest side of Atlanta toward the Alabama border. In addition, two tornadoes, one an EF3, developed along the stronger part of the line as it moved through Carroll county before daybreak causing extensive damage along their paths.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.2000, -84.2200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 81618. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.