2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak
The 2008 Atlanta tornado outbreak was a destructive and deadly tornado outbreak that affected the Southeastern United States on March 14–15, 2008. The most infamous tornado of the outbreak occurred on March 14 when an isolated but strong EF2 tornado caused widespread damage across Downtown Atlanta, Georgia, including to the CNN Center and to the Georgia Dome, which was hosting the 2008 SEC men's basketball tournament. Other buildings that were damaged include the Georgia World Congress Center, Philips Arena (now State Farm Arena) during an Atlanta Hawks game, and the Omni Hotel, which was evacuated after many windows were blown out. The Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel suffered major window damage. The image of the building with all its windows blown out became famous and for a time was a symbol of the tornado. Centennial Olympic Park, SunTrust Plaza (now Truist Plaza) and historic Oakland Cemetery were also damaged.
Tornado (shadow at left), after going through downtown Atlanta | |
| Type | Tornado outbreak |
|---|---|
| Duration | March 14–15, 2008 |
| Tornadoes confirmed | 46 confirmed |
| Max. rating1 | EF3 tornado |
| Duration of tornado outbreak2 | 24 hours, 7 minutes |
| Fatalities | 3 fatalities (1 in Atlanta), 53 injuries |
| Damage | >$250 million |
| Areas affected | Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina |
Part of tornado outbreaks of 2008 1Most severe tornado damage; see Enhanced Fujita scale 2Time from first tornado to last tornado | |
One man was killed near Downtown Atlanta and 30 others were injured. Two other deaths took place on March 15, in the northern Atlanta suburbs, from a second, larger round of severe weather and tornadoes. In total, 46 tornadoes were confirmed over the 24-hour period, from eastern Alabama to the Carolina coast, with most of the activity concentrated in the Metropolitan Atlanta area, the Central Savannah River Area and the Midlands of South Carolina.