On the evening of April 8, 1998, tornadoes powerful as F5 on the Fujita Scale swept through the northern half of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia causing considerable loss of life, injuries and property loss. The National Weather Service's Southern Region Headquarters in Ft. Worth, Texas, coordinated a Regional Service Assessment Team to review the operations and effectiveness of products and services provided during the event by NWS offices at Memphis, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; and Atlanta, Georgia.
In the late afternoon of Wednesday, April 8, 1998, severe thunderstorms quickly developed over Mississippi, Arkansas and southwest Tennessee. During the evening, some of the more powerful storms generated tornadoes that caused massive property damage and loss of life along a path from northeast Mississippi through central Alabama into northern Georgia. Hardest hit were Jefferson and St. Clair Counties in the Birmingham, Alabama, Metropolitan area. In the wake of these storms, 36 people lost their lives, 273 were injured and property damage was estimated at over $300 million.
In Georgia, Tornado Watch #192, issued at 7:36 p.m. EDT, covered the northern half of the state until 2:00 a.m., April 9. At 1:15 a.m. EDT, it was replaced by Tornado Watch #196, which was valid for essentially the same area until 7:00 a.m. EDT.
Forecasts issued by NWSFO Atlanta also clearly indicated the severe threat well in advance. The zone forecasts for northern Georgia, issued about 4:00 a.m. CDT, mentioned "TONIGHT... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY. SOME STORMS MAY BE SEVERE." The accompanying State Forecast Discussion alluded to the SPC outlook of severe storms, and the high risk in northwest Georgia, in the forecast reasoning. At 9:38 a.m. EDT, the NWSFO issued a Hazardous Weather Outlook that stated "THERE IS A MODERATE TO HIGH RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FOR NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL GEORGIA TODAY INTO TONIGHT."
This from Southeastern United States Tornadoes, Apirl 8, 1998 From NOAA
Earlier storm cells from the same system that struck Alabama (about 7:30pm CT, April 8, 1998) were classified as F4 on the Fujita Tornado Intensity Scale (see chart below). The storms that struck north of Atlanta were F2, indicating winds below 150 miles per hour. In Cobb County the storms hit a number of businesses in the Windy Hill area. According to Weather Channel employees a tornado passed nearby. Chris Volvo lost a half-dozen cars and part of the showroom. Haverty's Furniture was also hit as was a shopping center. A Waffle House near the car dealership was a total loss. In the wealthy Dunwoody area of Dekalb County a 72 year-old man died when a tree fell on his home. Damage was so intense that it took a reporter who lived two blocks away 45 minutes to walk, climb and crawl to the scene. Other homes in the area sustained considerable damage.
Moving east the storms destroyed a heavily wooded residential area near Tilly Mill and Winter's Chapel Roads. The trees, snapped at or near the base, brought down power lines with them and blocked roads for most of the morning. A separate storm center also wrecked havoc to the north, knocking down trees and power lines in Fulton and Gwinnett County, passing through Duluth, Suwanee, and Norcross. The damage from this cell appeared to be less than those from other storms, but destruction halted traffic in many areas. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration the month of April is the worst month for tornadoes in terms of number of deaths. Both May and June have more tornadoes but April has more deaths by a wide margin. The state of Georgia ranks 13th in the number of tornadoes between 1950 and 1994, but fourth in total inflation adjusted damage over the same years. During that time period 111 deaths and more than 2,600 injuries were attributed to tornadoes in the state.
From The nights went out in Georgia..
