Giant hail hits South Coweta area - The Moreland Hail Storm

ALEX McRAE

alex@newnan.com

"A line of strong thunderstorms that swept through Coweta County Saturday evening produced baseball-sized hail that broke windows, damaged vehicles and covered roads, yards and roofs, but no injuries were reported and power outages were few and brief.

As the severe storms approached Saturday afternoon, Coweta was placed under a tornado watch. No tornadoes were reported, but the thunderstorms produced plenty of damage and some spectacular frozen precipitation. 

Hailstones up to 4 inches in diameter were reported in Coweta. The largest hailstones were reported in the Moreland area.

Extensive damage was done to automobiles from Moreland to Senoia, including shattered windshields and dimpled automotive sheet metal. A portion of Interstate 85 between Moreland and Grantville was briefly covered by a layer of hail so white it appeared the interstate was the scene of a snowstorm.

Residential decks and porches were also covered by concentrations of hailstones up to an inch deep. Downed tree limbs littered the storm’s path, but no widespread power outages were noted. The tornado watch was lifted about 9 p.m. Saturday.

In addition to autos and other vehicles, many roofs were damaged by the storms and blue tarps on rooftops will be a familiar sight in south Coweta for a while.

The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Peachtree City reported a total of 1.09 inches of precipitation, although higher amounts were reported by independent sources in several locations. Highest wind gusts during the storms were reported at 29 mph."

I had gotten home a little bit after dark and found the remains of hail all over the yard. and  "Lake Suzy" was full of ice.  The area was foggy from the melting ice.  I've notice no damage to my roof yet, I've been up and checking it out.  The planking survived, it's ok, just knocked off more of the old paint and a couple of storm window panes were cracked.  The cats were traumatized out in the catio.  It was hard for me to get them to come out of hiding in their warm box.
I believe that my pecan trees won't fair this year; the blossoms were all knocked off.  And a plastic storage container that I keep my camping supplies in got holes punched into the lid.
That's about it for me.  I was at Liam birthday party at the time it all happen so I didn't have any damage to my own truck, it did hail some up on Paris Mtn. but this was pea gravel size and did no damage.

So far, every time it's hailed I've been lucky enough to have my vehicle somewhere else.