http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324423904578521573062569546.html

 

Georgia Weather History for June 3rdIn 2002, in Emanuel County, straight line winds from a westward moving thunderstorm complex destroyed two mobile homes, severely damaged two more, caused minor damage to 13 homes, and downed numerous trees and power lines. The entire city of Twin City was reported to have been without power through the entire evening.

Georgia Weather History for June 1stIn 1903, one of Georgia’s worst natural disasters in history occurred in Hall County as a tornado touched down southwest of Gainesville and tore through the city. The storm’s clouds were compared to smoke from an approaching locomotive. The noise of the twister was compared to heavy cannon fire as it tore through the Gainesville Mill Cotton Factory where most of the 98 fatalities and over 200 injuries occurred. In its 4 mile path, the twister’s damage costs were estimated at over $1 million.

BREAKING: 24 people have been killed by a monster tornado on Monday as rescue crews continue to go through the wreckage. The tornado that tore through Moore, OK was described as being two miles wide when it struck just before 3 pm. Local officials say it will be days before they are able to process the entire scene.

 

 

 

 

 

If you haven’t had an opportunity to drive by Lake Lanier the past couple of months, you may not recognize how it looks! On Easter Sunday as we round out this last day of  March, Lake Lanier is sitting about just a foot away of being filled up again.

As of this morning, the lake level was  at 1069.78 ft……..That’s just 1.22 below it’s normal full pool of 1071.00 ft. Essentially, rainfall this winter has been quite plentiful. Back on January 1st, the lake was at a level of 1058.00 ft

It was at it’s lowest level the past 12 months back  on Dec. 19th, sitting at 1056.30 ft. Thus, we’ve seen an overall rise since the start of the year of  nearly 12 ft….and a rise of nearly 13 and a half feet since its’ lowest point in December! What this means is yet another example of how quickly the lake can return to normal  after going through dry or drought conditions. Since the lake was created back in the 1950′s, the level of the lake has continually fluctuated depending upon weather conditions during a given time period. It may get pretty low sometimes, but it has always recharges.

Whenever the lake gets low, we tend to hear a lot of emphasis put on ideas such as climate change, water use from over development, downstream water needs, and other things that factor in the lake level being low. You can make all the arguments you want about these factors, but the reality is lake levels are primarily a function of one thing only….Rainfall. Weather patterns shift back and forth from ones condusive to plentiful rain to ones that are relatively dry with minimal rainfall.  In turn, the lake responds accordingly. Plentiful rainfall equals fast recharging of the lake. Dry patterns mean lowering lake levels.

The net result though is always the same. The lake goes down and it goes back up…Often faster than most even realize. As we head into the warmer weather months, there will be plenty of water on the lake for recreational use this upcoming summer….and even if it’s a dry summer, the fact that the lake will be completely full before the hot weather arrives, assures us of plenty of water available to handle the needs of the region for the rest 2013.

Link to check on latest lake level:

http://lanier.uslakes.info/Level.asp