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October 10, 2018
Hurricane Michael Event

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The October 10, 2018 Hurricane Michael event in Georgia involved the inland passage of Hurricane Michael (which made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a high-end Category 4/near-Cat 5 with 155 mph sustained winds on the afternoon of October 10). The storm crossed into southwestern Georgia around 6:00 PM EDT as a still-powerful Category 3 hurricane (winds ~115 mph near the center in Donalsonville), weakening rapidly to a Category 2 then tropical storm as it tracked northeastward across the state during the evening of Wednesday, October 10 and into the early morning of October 11. This was the strongest hurricane (major Cat 3+) to directly impact Georgia since the 1890s, with the worst effects in the southwest (outside primary NWS Atlanta area) but significant wind/tree/power issues extending into central and north Georgia.

Hurricane Michael made landfall along the Florida panhandle near Panama City on the afternoon of October 10, 2018 as an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane. Michael was only the 4th Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the U.S. since 1850 and the first since Hurricane Andrew in 1992. Michael then moved rapidly inland, causing widespread wind damage along its path. Hurricane Michael was the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall along the Florida panhandle as well as the first major hurricane (Category 3+) to directly impact Georgia since the 1890s. In southwest Georgia, wind gusts as high as 115 mph were recorded in Donalsonville.

Within the NWS Atlanta/Peachtree City county warning area, winds gusted over 70 mph in portions of central Georgia on the evening of October 10th, leading to widespread tree damage and power outages as well as severe crop damage, especially to cotton and pecan crops. Additionally, a few brief tornadoes in the outer bands of Michael caused sporadic damage in portions of the the area while heavy rainfall led to localized flooding. Michael quickly exited the state as a tropical storm on the morning of October 11th.

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Key Highlights

Within the portion of central Georgia in the NWS Atlanta/Peachtree City county warning area, sustained winds of 40-50 mph with gusts in the 60-75+ mph range downed countless trees and power lines. Numerous trees fell onto homes and businesses, causing additional damage. The peak wind gust officially recorded within the local warning area was in Arabi, GA where a 76 mph gust was recorded. Even stronger wind gusts well over hurricane force (74+ mph) were recorded in southwest Georgia in the NWS Tallahassee county warning area. Power outages lasted up to a week or even a bit longer for some areas. Below is a map displaying many of the strong wind gusts recorded across the state during Hurricane Michael.

• Wind Impacts (Main Threat):
  • In southwest Georgia (e.g., Seminole, Decatur, Miller Counties): Extreme gusts up to 115 mph in Donalsonville (lowest pressure on record for the state at ~947 mb); catastrophic structural/tree damage, homes/businesses heavily impacted.
  • In NWS Atlanta/Peachtree City area (central/north Georgia): Sustained winds 40-50 mph with gusts 60-75+ mph (peak official gust 76 mph in Arabi); widespread downed trees/power lines (countless trees fell on homes, businesses, roads), blocking at least 127 roads statewide.
  • Power outages: Over 400,000 customers lost power across Georgia (hundreds of thousands in metro Atlanta and surrounding areas); outages lingered for days in spots.
  • Fatalities: At least 1 direct death in Georgia — an 11-year-old girl in Seminole County killed when debris (carport) crashed through her home roof. Additional storm-related deaths possible but not widely detailed for Georgia.
• Rainfall and Flooding:
  • Generally 3-6 inches across much of the state (higher in southwest); heavy rain caused localized flash flooding, ponding on roads, and minor river rises, but no widespread catastrophic flooding in Georgia (antecedent dry conditions helped mitigate).
• Tornado Activity:
  • At least 3 brief, weak tornadoes spawned in outer rain bands on October 10 evening (all EF-0 to high-end EF-1).
  • Notable: High-end EF-1 in Crawford County (trees down on homes, structural damage); EF-0 in Peach County (~1.8 miles long, 100 yd wide, peak ~75 mph, tree/power line damage); one other brief spin-up.
  • Sporadic, limited damage compared to wind impacts.
• Other Impacts:
  • Severe agricultural/forestry damage: Massive losses to cotton (near-record crop devastated), pecans (~$560 million), timber (millions of acres affected, ~1 million acres destroyed), peanuts, poultry (97 houses lost, millions of birds), vegetables; total ag/forestry losses ~$2.5-3+ billion in Georgia.
  • Statewide: Blocked intersections (e.g., ~100 in Albany), ripped siding/windows, scattered structural issues.
• Context:
  • Michael was one of the most intense U.S. landfalling hurricanes on record (first Cat 5 in contiguous U.S. since Andrew 1992); rapid inland movement spread hurricane-force winds far into Georgia.
  • In north/central Georgia, effects were mostly tropical storm-force gusts causing tree/power outages (similar to Irma but with more agricultural hit farther south).
  • Part of active 2018 season; preceded by Florence but far more destructive inland.

Recovery took months to years in hardest-hit southwest areas (timber/ag), with quicker power/tree cleanup in the north. A stark example of how even weakening major hurricanes can deliver widespread inland wind threats in Georgia!

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