Mother's Day Tornado Outbreak in Georgia - May 11, 2008

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Mother's Day Tornado Outbreak in Georgia
May 11, 2008

updated May 17, 2008

More than a dozen tornadoes result in at least two deaths and several injuries...

Photo pages...

Mother's Day 2008 will be remembered by many in Georgia as a day of fury by Mother Nature. Severe thunderstorms plowed through portions of North and Central Georgia during the morning hours of May 11, 2008 resulting in damaging wind, large hail and several tornadoes. At least two people were killed by a tornado and several were injured. The state insurance commissioner's office estimated insured damages totalled at least 125 million dollars. The damage was so extensive in eleven counties in northern and central Georgia that Governor Sonny Perdue declared a state of emergency. A state of emergency was also declared in some counties in South Georgia. Some schools were closed for a couple of days.

Storm damage survey teams from the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City found a lot of damage caused by straight-line winds, which caused damage to many trees and some structures. Some trees fell onto homes and vehicles. They also found evidence of at least 15 tornadoes - most of which severely damaged homes or completely destroyed buildings. 500 people were displaced when they lost their dwellings in Ellenwood (Clayton County). Extensive damage occurred on the campus of Macon State College in Bibb County. In addition to damaged buildings, the college lost half the trees on campus. The strongest tornado (EF3) occurred in Treutlen County. Most of the others were rated EF2. The first tornadoes touched down almost simultaneously shortly after 4 am EDT in Carroll and Troup counties. By 7 am they had moved down into east central counties (Toombs and Treutlen).

Other relevant Web pages and documents...
Governor's Request for Disaster Relief
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
More Mother's Day Tornadoes in Southeast Georgia from NWS Charleston S.C.

Radar Reflectivity Loop and Surface Map ( click images to enlarge )
Radar reflectivity loop as thunderstorms plowed through Georgia.	Surface map at 8 am EDT Mother's Day.

map showing those counties hit by tornadoes and severe thunderstorms on May 11, 2008