2008 Severe Weather Review

2008 Severe Weather Review

January

Numerous trees and power poles were down around Horseshoe Beach and southern Dixie County, FL on the 19th.
A severe thunderstorm on the 22nd deposited quarter sized hail in Eastpoint, FL.
Thunderstorm winds blew down trees in Ozark, AL on the 31st.

February

Thunderstorm winds on the 6th knocked down trees north of Elba, AL, and throughout Terrell County, GA. In Lee County, GA, northwest of Leesburg, a metal roof was blown off a trailer.
Severe thunderstorms on the 17th produced numerous reports of wind damage across southeast Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, and southwest Georgia. Quarter to golf ball sized hail fell in Henry County, AL.
Early on the 18th, an EF1 tornado touched down southwest of Mt Pleasant, FL in Gadsden County. It blew a semi over on Interstate 10 and injured the driver. The tornado uprooted trees, damaged several structures, and destroyed a 19-foot boat. The same supercell thunderstorm spawned a brief EF0 tornado south of Fowlstown, GA (Decatur Co.), and an EF1 tornado in northern Grady County, GA, just south of Capel. Both tornadoes uprooted or snapped numerous trees and damaged or destroyed several mobile homes. Straight-line winds blew out windows of a home near Whigham, GA, and toppled numerous trees southwest of Moultrie, GA.
A waterspout was reported near Gulf Resort Beach, about six miles west-northwest of Panama City Beach, FL on the 21st.
On the 22nd, penny sized hail fell in Chipley, FL. A thunderstorm wind gust of 59 mph was measured just west of Moultrie, GA.
Early on the 23rd, thunderstorm winds downed trees in and around Tallahassee, FL.
Heavy rainfall caused flooding around mobile homes just southeast of Marianna, FL on the 24th. The Chipola River overflowed its banks, with areal flooding concentrated just east of Marianna near the river bank. Several trails were underwater at a park just north of Marianna. The Withlacoochee River overflowed its banks near Blue Springs in Brooks County, GA. Eight campers were rescued from shelters along Blue Springs Highway.
On the 26th, severe thunderstorms caused widespread damage to trees, power lines, and several structures across southwest and south central Georgia. Penny sized hail fell in Hartsfield, GA (Colquitt Co.). Thunderstorm winds downed trees and power lines in Jefferson and Madison counties in Florida, and Coffee County, AL.

March

Early on the 7th, thunderstorm winds downed trees in eastern Dale County, AL, and southern Lowndes County, GA. Later that morning, an intense squall line swept across the Florida Big Bend. There were widespread reports of straight line wind damage, with two confirmed tornadoes surveyed by NWS Tallahassee. The first tornado, an EF1, touched down near Capitola in eastern Leon County. It downed trees, power lines, and damaged several homes. One person was injured. The second tornado, an EF2, was a waterspout which came ashore at Keaton Beach. The tornado downed trees and power lines, and damaged fifteen homes between Marina Drive and Keaton Beach Drive. One home was blown off its foundation and destroyed. Two injuries were reported. Torrential rainfall caused urban flooding in Tallahassee. Nearly 10,000 Tallahassee customers were without power. Finally, funnel clouds were sighted at Capitola and Mayo, FL.

April

During the morning of the 5th, thunderstorm winds tore a carport from a home and downed a few trees northwest of Taylor, AL (Houston Co.). A severe thunderstorm produced wind damage to trees and power lines in Pelham, GA. That afternoon, severe thunderstorms produced winds in excess of 70 mph, which toppled trees in Apalachicola and damaged several homes at Shell Point, FL.
On the 28th, a waterspout came ashore as an EF0 tornado and damaged several homes at Dekle Beach, FL (Taylor Co.).

May

Severe thunderstorms produced scattered tree and power line damage in Worth and Turner counties in southwest Georgia on the morning of the 11th. A funnel cloud was sighted in Mystic, GA (Irwin Co).
Slow-moving thunderstorms on the 16th deposited up to six inches of rain within a three-hour period, which produced areal flooding throughout Madison County, FL.
A late afternoon thunderstorm on the 21st produced damaging winds and penny to golf ball sized hail in Lowndes County, GA.
On the 24th, two men drowned in rip currents at Panama City Beach, FL. There were more than 150 calls for water rescues during the Memorial Day holiday weekend.

June

Afternoon thunderstorms on the 3rd caused wind damage near Cool Springs, AL (Coffee Co.), and in Madison County, FL.
On the 9th, severe thunderstorms produced scattered wind damage and penny to golf ball sized hail across portions of southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia. A funnel cloud was sighted north of Headland, AL (Henry Co.). Straight line winds toppled numerous trees and power lines in Chattahoochee, FL (Gadsden Co.). A wind gust to 77 mph was recorded at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport southwest of Albany. In Albany, the city's 911 computer and telephone services were disrupted, and several homes sustained minor wind damage.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees northeast of Monticello and north of Malone, FL on the 10th. A waterspout was sighted five miles south of Eastpoint, FL.
During the evening of the 11th, straight line winds caused numerous reports of downed trees and power lines throughout much of South Georgia. A barn was destroyed south of Hahira, GA.
An evening waterspout on the 12th south of Miramar Beach, FL dissipated before it reached the beaches of Sandestin.
On the 15th, a young girl was struck and killed by lightning at Torreya State Park (Liberty Co., FL). Runoff from heavy rain caused the Hat Creek south of Waterloo, GA (Irwin Co.) to overflow its banks.
Late night thunderstorms on the 17th brought intense lightning, nickel sized hail, damaging winds, and funnel clouds throughout southern Bay County, FL. A waterspout moved along the coast, just offshore of Front Beach Road.
Thunderstorm winds toppled trees and snapped a power pole in Newville, AL on the 21st. Evening storms raked Thomas and Grady counties with intense lightning, damaging winds and torrential rain. Flash flooding was observed south of Capel and Akridge in northeast Grady County where three roads were damaged. Earlier in the day, two men died when lightning struck their fishing boat on Choctawhatchee Bay in southern Walton County, FL.
Lightning caused severe damage to two homes in the Tower Oaks subdivision northwest of Tallahassee, FL on the 22nd.
Winds from afternoon thunderstorms on the 25th produced wind damage just east of Tallahassee, near Hosford, and between Madison and Lee, FL. Lightning sparked a fire which caused extensive damage to a home in the Southwood subdivision southeast of Tallahassee. Wind damage was also reported around Lakeland and ten miles north of Valdosta, GA.
Lightning from a thunderstorm early on the 26th damaged a commercial building in northeast Tallahassee, FL. Later that day, thunderstorm winds downed several trees in Cairo, GA.
Trees were blown over Old Blue Springs Road east of Madison, FL, during an afternoon thunderstorm on the 28th. A jeep carrying two teens collided with a fallen oak tree. Both occupants suffered minor injuries.
Afternoon thunderstorms on the 29th caused minor wind damage in Geneva, AL, and several reports of wind damage across of the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia. Straight line winds damaged a home near Prosperity, FL (Holmes Co.), and blew a shed into a truck northwest of Rollins Corner, FL (Calhoun Co.).
On the 30th, lightning struck and seriously injured a young boy while walking along State Road 53 near Madison, FL.

July

Afternoon thunderstorms on the 5th deposited quarter size hail near Screamer, AL (Henry Co.), destroyed a shed and downed a few trees north of Ozark, AL, and blew down trees west of Ocilla, GA (Irwin Co.).
Afternoon thunderstorms on the 11th toppled a few trees near Ozark, AL, and caused urban flooding in Cuthbert, GA.
Wind damage to trees and power lines as well as penny sized hail was reported in portions of Geneva, Coffee and Houston counties in southeast Alabama on the 12th. In Wakulla County, FL, several trees and power lines were down east of Crawfordville.
On the 13th, evening thunderstorms toppled trees and power lines near Quincy and north of Panama City, FL.
Afternoon and evening thunderstorms on the 21st caused scattered reports of wind damage in Mitchell, Baker, Decatur, Grady, and Lowndes counties in South Georgia, and north of Tallahassee, FL.
Thunderstorm winds downed trees in Parrott (Terrell Co.), south of Sylvester (Worth Co.), and west of Bethel (Clay Co.), GA on the 22nd.
On the 23rd, rip currents claimed the life of a man at Panama City Beach, FL, and an afternoon thunderstorm downed trees and power lines northeast of Bainbridge, GA.

August

Lightning from an afternoon thunderstorm on the 1st destroyed a Sweetwater home in Liberty County, FL.
During the morning of the 3rd and 4th, three men drowned from rip currents at Panama City Beach, FL.
Evening thunderstorms on the 6th downed trees and power lines across portions of Worth and Lee counties in southwest Georgia.
Afternoon thunderstorms on the 7th downed trees and dropped nickel sized hail in Houston County, AL. Lightning was blamed for two trailer fires southwest of Otho, AL (Henry Co.). Penny to golf ball sized hail fell near Tallahassee, and several trees and power lines were blown down north of Madison, FL. Numerous reports of wind damage, as well as quarter sized hail and intense lightning accompanied the storms across portions of southwest Georgia.
Straight line winds from afternoon thunderstorms on the 13th snapped and toppled many trees and power poles in Madison County, felled numerous trees and power lines throughout Panama City, FL, and downed utility poles along the bridge between Eastpoint and St George Island, FL. The resultant power outage affected the entire island. That same day, high surf caused minor beach erosion along the beaches of St Joseph State Park.
Lightning from an afternoon thunderstorm on the 23rd struck a communications tower in Adel, GA, which disrupted Internet service for 200 customers.
On the 24th, an EF0 tornado briefly touched down in a wooded area east of Capps, FL (Jefferson Co.), and produced a narrow swath of snapped pine trees. An EF1 tornado north of Lenox in Cook County, GA downed numerous trees and damaged a barn.
Thunderstorm winds on the 25th produced minor structural damage at the Daleville Industrial Park. An EF1 tornado, which touched down about three miles northwest of Skipperville, AL, uprooted several trees and damaged a barn. An EF0 tornado briefly touched down in an open field near Jacobs, FL (Jackson Co.). Another EF0 tornado, reported about three miles north of Enterprise, GA (Miller Co.), uprooted trees, tore the roof off a home, damaged a barn, and destroyed an irrigation pivot.

September

A waterspout, which formed over the near shore waters south of Miramar Beach, FL on the 1st, dissipated shortly before it reached the coast.
Straight line winds on the 10th downed trees near Sopchoppy, FL.
An afternoon thunderstorm on the 15th downed a few trees in Headland, AL.

October

Severe thunderstorms produced several tornadoes in southeast Alabama on the 8th. An EF1 tornado touched down in Enterprise and caused extensive damage to the civic center, numerous homes and businesses. The same supercell produced additional EF0 tornadoes in Dale and Henry counties. Another supercell spawned an EF0 tornado north of Wicksburg in western Houston County, which later moved into southeastern Dale County.
A morning waterspout on the 8th came ashore as an EF0 tornado in the Bay Point Preserve subdivision and again at Panama City, FL. Late in the afternoon, an EF1 tornado snapped and uprooted trees and destroyed a gazebo a few miles southwest of Lloyd, FL.
In southwest Georgia, severe thunderstorms produced straight line wind damage in Seminole and Decatur counties, and quarter to golf ball sized hail in Tift County on the morning of the 9th.

November

An area of slow-moving thunderstorms on the morning of the 14th produced torrential rainfall which resulted in flash flooding in and just south of Tallahassee, FL.

December

Heavy rainfall on the 10th produced areal flooding in Coffee County, AL, where several dirt roads were washed out and a few county roads were closed.
Strong winds associated with a line of heavy showers during the predawn hours of the 11th produced numerous reports of downed trees, power lines and several trailers across portions of southeast Alabama, southwest Georgia and the eastern Florida Panhandle.
Strong westerly winds ahead of a vigorous storm system, which moved from the northern Gulf of Mexico into Alabama and Georgia, generated high surf, coastal flooding and beach erosion along the Bay and Gulf county coastline on the 10th and 11th.
A line of severe thunderstorms early on the 11th downed numerous trees and caused structural damage in portions of the Florida Big Bend.

NCDC provides a collection of significant weather events that occurred nationally last year.