A deadly 1998 tornado that struck Hall and White counties led to the appointment of a task force to study steps that could be taken to protect citizens from future severe weather.
Among the recommendations of that committee were the addition of a gap-filling weather radar to cover northeastern Georgia.
Now, that recommendation is being addressed with a weather radar system purchased by the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Officials say the radar would be used collaboratively to provide enhanced warning for people in North Georgia, to provide educational opportunities to students at both institutions.
The F3 “White/Hall Tornado” on March 20, 1998, resulted in at least a dozen fatalities, 96 injuries in Hall County and 75 injuries in White County, drawing attention from across the nation.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, “The tornado began in northwest Hall County and moved into southern White County. Total distance covered was about 13 miles. Aerial and ground surveys by NWS employees showed extensive damage along the path. There was significant damage to Lanier Elementary School and North Hall High School. Houses, trailers, businesses, and agricultural interests (namely the poultry industry) were demolished or damaged. Large areas of forest were flattened. A tractor-trailer truck was thrown 100 feet from the road into a school, killing the driver. All of the other 11 persons killed were in mobile homes. The damage path varied from 50 to 200 yards but averaged around 100 yards wide.”
Five years after the deadly storm system rolled through, a county-wide siren warning system was installed in Hall County and by 2003 a new weather radio transmitter was installed on Wauka Mountain on the Hall/White County line.
The new Furuno WR-2100 radar equipment will be installed in Gwinnett County and will fill what UGA officials say is a well-known gap in radar coverage over northeastern Georgia caused by the existing NEXRAD network coverage and terrain.
Images from the radar will be shared with the National Weather Service and
