Atlanta

A look back at the tornado that ripped through downtown Atlanta 15 years ago today

By WSBTV.com News Staff

Damage to homes in Vine City from 2008 Atlanta tornado.

By WSBTV.com News Staff

ATLANTA — Many will remember the tornadoes that wreaked havoc in downtown Atlanta and across Georgia on March 14 and 15, 2008 – leaving many iconic Atlanta buildings damaged.

There were at least a dozen tornadoes reported in Georgia that weekend, including one formed in the middle of the downtown’s tourism district that Friday night, a first in the city’s recorded history.

Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Brad Nitz was at the station on this fateful day in 2008 for more than seven hours tracking the tornado outbreak alongside Severe Weather Team 2 Chief Meteorologist Emeritus Glenn Burns.

“It might be the wildest 24 hours for weather in Atlanta history. Just a chilling sight from our airport tower cam,” Nitz said.

This year marks WSB-TV’s 75th anniversary of coverage you can count on. Join us on March 26 for“WSB-TV: 75 Years of Weather” special as Severe Weather Team 2 looks back at the biggest storms to hit Georgia.

The EF-2 tornado cut a 6-mile path through downtown, damaging the Georgia World Congress Center, the Westin Peachtree Plaza and the Equitable Building. The 200-yard-wide tornado moved along the Atlanta skyline for about 12 minutes with winds of up to 130 mph.

The Georgia World Congress Center sustained the most damage where windows were shattered, seats were scattered and portions of the ceiling sustained major damage.

“I have not seen anything like this before,” former Atlanta fire Battalion Chief Gerry Rusinski said after surveying the scene. “It looked like 9-11 when we pulled up.”

Fans were watching an SEC Tournament basketball game at the now-extinct Georgia Dome. Mississippi State and Alabama were playing overtime when the tornado struck around 9:40 p.m.

“Suddenly the players on the floor stopped and pointed to the roof on the Dome that large catwalk you just saw was swinging much like a trapeze and debris began falling from the top of the dome,” former Channel 2 sports director Chuck Dowdle recalled.

75 YEARS OF WSB-TV

The storm ripped open a panel on the side of the Dome, shearing bolts and causing insulation to fall into the arena. The game was completed after the storm moved through. The rest of the tournament was postponed.

The Dome, along with several other downtown buildings, underwent repairs while staying open for business. Shattered glass, metal, insulation and other debris littered the streets around downtown for the days following the storms.

Commuters to downtown Atlanta were encouraged to stay home that Monday as cleanup in the area continued. Many streets were closed and some traffic lights remained out.

Tens of thousands of people were without power for days after the storm.

At least two people in the state were killed during the storms -- one in Polk County and another in neighboring Floyd County.


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