At least 50 boats were damaged and a dock was torn apart when a massive storm blew over Lake Lanier on Monday afternoon, according to Channel 2 Action News.
A woman captured video of the storm as winds began pitching her houseboat while she was on it. Karen Watts told the news station she was on her boat in Lake Lanier’s Aqualand Marina when the “hour of terror” started around 2:45 p.m. As the winds grew stronger, she began recording.
“I picked up the camera,” Watts told Channel 2. “It kept me from freaking out. I just went with it.”
The 11-minute video shows the storm ripping awnings from the boat. The dock broke apart during the incident.
“Please stay together, please stay together,” Watts can be heard saying in the video, as parts of the dock are rocked by massive waves.
The damage at the Aqualand and Holiday marinas was caused by a microburst over the area, the National Weather Service told AJC.com.
Microbursts take place when cool air collapses in the middle of a strong thunderstorm, leading to the air being forced outward near the ground. When this happens, wind speeds can suddenly reach 150 mph or more.
“This damage can be of comparable intensity as would be expected from a low-end tornado and thus is sometimes incorrectly interpreted as such,” Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Willis said. “Damaging winds of this caliber are not uncommon in intense severe afternoon thunderstorms that can occur on some unstable summer afternoons.”
The Aqualand manager has already begun cleaning and repairing the docks, Watts told Channel 2. Officials at the marina told AJC.com they are still assessing the damage and declined to comment further.
“He’s got a good crew,” Watts said.
We’re working to learn more about Monday’s damage.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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