National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

 

Thunderstorm Produces Damage in Morgan County
June 6, 2005

Thunderstorms developed in the afternoon heat and humidity across Georgia on June 6, 2005. Although the level of instability in the atmosphere was only marginally supportive of severe thunderstorms, a number of storms did produce hail, especially across the northern half of the state. Hail was mostly small, but several locations did report hail as large as pennies between 1 pm and 6 pm. Large hail up to the size of golfballs occurred during the 7 o'clock hour in Hall, Gwinnett, and Banks counties. Storms weakened significantly after sunset.

A few of the thunderstorms produced strong, gusty winds. The most significant of these occurred in Morgan county, where a number of large trees were blown down . There was also some roof damage to a few homes, barns and outbuildings. Ms. Gwenda Ruark, Morgan County EMA Director, surveyed the damage and provided the photos below.

As can be seen in the radar images, the storm that produced the damage developed rapidly. This "pulse" thunderstorm had a narrow updraft core, but apparently produced a wet microburst before ending its life cycle.

[ damage occurred in the Buckhead area of Morgan County ]
radar images showing thunderstorm over Morgan County
Base reflectivity from Peachtree City radar between 6 pm and 630 pm edt.

 



Damage Photos from the Buckhead area of Morgan County ( click images to enlarge )
[ barn roof peeled back ] [ barn roof peeled back ]
[ shed damage ] [ well house roof ]

Some maps courtesy Georgia Department of Community Affairs