National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Remnants of Hurricane Delta Affect North and Central Georgia

October 10-11, 2020 

Hurricane Delta made landfall early on the morning of October 9, 2020 along the Louisiana coast, bringing widespread damage to that portion of the coast. After landfall, Delta moved northeastward before picking up speed and moving just north of Georgia as it quickly weakened. 

As the remnants of Delta passed northeast of Georgia on Saturday, October 10th, moisture off the Gulf of Mexico spread across the area due to Delta, bringing multiple weak tornadoes to the area in addition to pockets of heavy rainfall and flooding across the Atlanta metro area and portions of northeast Georgia. Periods of heavy rain and localized flooding led to many flooded or washed out roads and strong winds within tornadoes downed trees and power lines and damaged several buildings. 

 

Radar Loop of Delta from October 10-11, 2020:

 

Local Warnings Issued October 10-11, 2020:

A significant number of Tornado, Flood, and Flash Flood Warnings were issued as the remnants of Hurricane Delta affected the area.

 

 

 

 

 

Heavy Rainfall and Flooding

Periods of heavy rainfall late in the evening and overnight on Saturday October 10, 2020 led to many instances of flash flooding and river flooding across portions of north and central Georgia. Across the Atlanta metro area, 2 to 5 inches of rain fell, causing extensive flooding that led to multiple water rescues and also caused extensive river flooding around the city. Some gauges even reported their highest gauge readings over the past several years. Across northeastern Georgia, 4 to 8 inches of rainfall were reported, leading to additional flash flooding issues and numerous washed out roadways. Lingering flooding of some streams and rivers occurred for several days after the rain had ended.

 

Map of Storm Total Rainfall

Flooding Photos

Notable Hydrographs

 

Map of Storm Total Rainfall:

Rainfall totals reach 4-6" in some locations, particularly across the heart of metro Atlanta and into northeast Georgia.

 

 

Flooding Photos:

Many roadways were flooded like this one in Morrow in Clayton County at Reagan Chase. Uncle Shuck's Corn Maze in Dawson County was flooded.

 

 

Notable Hydrographs:

These hydrographs show several of the local waterways that reached flood stage during and after the heavy rainfall event. Some of the gauges reached as high as Moderate to Major flood stage.

Click the images to enlarge.
 

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Charts courtesy of USGS. 

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Several tornadoes occurred on Saturday, October 10, 2020.


Shear and instability increased as the remnants of Delta approached the area, setting the stage for several weak tornadoes during the afternoon and evening.

 

0-3 km storm relative helicity (Oct. 10, 7 pm)

As the remnant low center of Delta passed northwest of the area, attendant shear led to favorable conditions for rotating storm cells.

Surface CAPE (Oct. 10, 5 pm)

Instability also surged northward ahead of the remnants of Delta as increased shear moved into the area. 

 

Delta Tornadoes:

(1) Newton (2) Coweta #1 (3) Coweta #2
(4) Pike (5) Clayton (6) DeKalb
(7) Gwinnett
 

 

1) Newton County Tornado:

An EF-1 tornado with a path length of 1.43 miles tracked through Covington, GA. The tornado first touched down near the intersection of Washington Street and Walker Bend Parkway at 4:34 PM. It continued to move NW, ending just south of Interstate 20 along Woodhaven Drive at 4:44 PM. This tornado created some tree and structural damage with most occurring along Turner Lake Circle at a homeless shelter where portions of the roof and walls of the building were damaged. No fatalities occurred, but 2 people received minor injuries and were treated.

Damage Path - Newton County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Newton EF-1 2
  
Rating: EF-1
Peak Wind: 87-90 MPH
Path Length: 1.43 miles
Path Width: 75 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 2
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 4:34 PM EDT
Start Location: 1 mile WSW of Covington
Start Lat/Lon: 33.587 / -83.877
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 4:44 PM EDT
End Location: 1 mile NW of Covington
End Lat/Lon: 33.607 / -83.884
 

This building suffered major structural damage from the tornado near Turner Lake Circle.  The tornado also caused minor damage to this home near Holmes Court. 
 

Reflectivity (4:39 PM EDT). Velocity (4:39 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (4:39 PM EDT).
 
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2) Coweta County Tornado #1:

An EF-0 tornado with a path length of 0.37 miles affected the southwestern side of Newnan. The tornado first touched down on the north side of Newnan High School at 6:12 PM. It continued to move north, ending just south of Westview Cemetery at 6:13 PM. This tornado caused some tree and structural damage with most occurring at Newnan High School where a portion of the roof was damaged.

Damage Path - Coweta County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Coweta EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 70-75 MPH
Path Length: 0.37 miles
Path Width: 90 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 6:12 PM EDT
Start Location: 1 mile SW of Newnan
Start Lat/Lon: 33.365 / -84.811
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 6:13 PM EDT
End Location: .75 miles WSW of Newnan
End Lat/Lon: 33.370 / -84.811
 

Portions of Newnan High School sustained minor roof damage in the tornado. This tree was downed in Newnan.
 

Reflectivity (6:13 PM EDT). Velocity (6:14 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (6:13 PM EDT).
 
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3) Coweta County Tornado #2:

An EF-0 tornado with a path length of 0.83 miles tracked through the northern side of Newnan, GA. The tornado first touched down near The Village Center along Highway 29 at 6:18 PM. It continued to move north, ending in a residential area along Howard Hughes Road at 6:21 PM. This tornado caused some tree damage with the most occurring in the residential area along Howard Hughes Road where some softwood trees were uprooted.

Damage Path - Coweta County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Coweta EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 69-73 MPH
Path Length: 0.83 miles
Path Width: 65 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 6:18 PM EDT
Start Location: 1.9 miles north of Newnan
Start Lat/Lon: 33.402 / -84.793
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 6:21 PM EDT
End Location: 2.75 miles north of Newnan
End Lat/Lon: 33.414 / -84.793

 

 

Several trees were downed along Highway 29 in Newnan.
 

Reflectivity (6:18 PM EDT). Velocity (6:18 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (6:20 PM EDT).
 
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4) Pike County Tornado:

A tornado touched down just northeast of Concord in west-central Pike County, snapping or uprooting multiple trees along its path before lifting near the intersection of West Road and Hollonville Road. Based on radar and ground surveys, the tornado appeared to cause most of its damage to a number of pine trees along West Road near Bottoms Road.

Damage Path - Pike County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Pike EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 75-80 MPH
Path Length: 2.1 miles
Path Width: 200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 6:27 PM EDT
Start Location: 1.1 miles NE of Concord
Start Lat/Lon: 33.1031 / -84.4262
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 6:32 PM EDT
End Location: 3.1 miles NE of Concord
End Lat/Lon: 33.1331 / -84.4181
 

Multiple trees were snapped and uprooted by the tornado.
 

Reflectivity (6:28 PM EDT). Velocity (6:28 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (6:28 PM EDT).

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5) Clayton County Tornado:
A very brief tornado touched down near Maddox road, south of Mt. Zion Boulevard between Morrow and Allendale Heights in northeast Clayton County. The tornado moved north-northwest, snapping a few trees and pulling some roof materials and siding off a home before lifting just before Mt. Zion Boulevard.
 
Damage Path - Clayton County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Clayton EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 70-75 MPH
Path Length: 0.6 miles
Path Width: 150 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 7:45 PM EDT
Start Location: 4.4 miles WNW of Stockbridge
Start Lat/Lon: 33.5640 / -84.3056
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 7:46 PM EDT
End Location: 1.9 miles ESE of Morrow
End Lat/Lon: 33.5711 / -84.3102
 

This home at the corner of Stratton and Maddox received roof damage in the tornado. This tree, along with several others, was snapped by the tornado.
 

Reflectivity (7:45 PM EDT). Velocity (7:45 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (7:45 PM EDT).
 
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6) DeKalb County Tornado:
A tornado touched down just north of I-20 near Wesley Chapel Road and Cross Lane, snapping several small trees and pulling a few shingles off of roofs. More extensive damage was noted between Lindsey Drive and Oak Valley Road as the tornado traveled northwest. In this residential area, including Sherwood Avenue and Hanes Drive, multiple larger trees were snapped or uprooted with several falling on homes and taking down utility/power lines. Winds were estimated to peak in this area between 75-80 mph. The tornado weakened as it quickly moved north-northwest with several additional smaller trees snapped along its path over Belvedere Square and just across Covington Highway along South Indian Creek Drive. Radar and ground surveys support the tornado lifting at this point. 
 
Damage Path - DeKalb County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
DeKalb EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 75-80 MPH
Path Length: 1.7 miles
Path Width: 250 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 8:16 PM EDT
Start Location: 6 miles WNW of Lithonia
Start Lat/Lon: 33.7263 / -84.2122
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 8:20 PM EDT
End Location: 4.3 miles SW of Stone Mountain
End Lat/Lon: 33.7495 / -84.2212
 

Several large trees were downed, including this one that unfortunately crushed a vehicle. This tree was downed onto a home.
 

Reflectivity (8:17 PM EDT). Velocity (8:17 PM EDT). Correlation Coefficient (8:17 PM EDT).
 
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7) Gwinnett County Tornado:
A tornado touched down just west of Bethesda Park, between Lilburn and Lawrenceville. The very short-lived tornado tracked northwest, snapping or uprooting multiple trees in a residential area between Oak Park Drive NW and Sweetwater Drive. Several trees were noted on homes, but damage to the homes was not major. Before lifting, the tornado crossed Lawrenceville Highway, snapping a few additional trees.
 
Damage Path - Gwinnett County
County Rating # of Injuries KML
Gwinnett EF-0 0
  
Rating: EF-0
Peak Wind: 75-80 MPH
Path Length: 0.7 miles
Path Width: 200 yards
Fatalities: 0
Injuries: 0
Start Date: Oct. 10, 2020
Start Time: 8:43 PM EDT
Start Location: 1.9 miles ENE of Lilburn
Start Lat/Lon: 33.9028 / -84.0983
End Date: Oct. 10, 2020
End Time: 8:45 PM EDT
End Location: 7.3 miles WSW of Lawrenceville
End Lat/Lon: 33.9102 / -84.1055
 

The tornado snapped and uprooted a number of trees, including several in this backyard. More trees damage was observed at this home.
 

Reflectivity (8:42 PM EDT). Velocity (8:43 PM EDT).
 
 
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