El Niño weather events in metro Atlanta

Metro Atlanta

Meteorologists warn that the 2015-16 winter could be influenced by the strongest El Niño weather pattern in two decades. Here are some examples of severe weather events in metro Atlanta that were El Niño-related.

1973 ICE STORM: On Jan. 7, 1973, metro Atlanta and North Georgia experienced a storm that left 2 inches of ice and left 200,000 people without power. The next month, 14-16 inches of snow fell on Middle Georgia, setting accumulation records across the Southeast. (AJC archive)

1982 SNOWJAM: Beginning Jan. 12, 1982, seven inches of snow fell on metro Atlanta over three days. The storm first hit during the afternoon rush hour and thousands of cars were abandoned. It was Atlanta's snowiest winter since World War II. (SnowJam '82 even has its own website where readers can submit their stories and photos.) (AJC archive)

1998 GAINESVILLE TORNADO: El Nino can also bring severe weather in the spring, in the form of strong storms and heavy rains, which can cause flooding. The spring of 1998 is remembered in metro Atlanta for two devestating tornados. The first one came on March 20, 1998 in Hall County, killing 12 people and destroying homes. (John Spink / jspink@ajc.com)

1998 DUNWOODY TORNADO: Two weeks later, on April 9, 1998 another series of tornadoes hit DeKalb County and north metro Atlanta, including Dunwoody, Norcross, Sandy Springs and Smyrna. One person in DeKalb was killed, 3,000 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, and 60,000 trees were uprooted. (Phil Skinner / AJC file)

2009 AUSTELL FLOOD: On Sept. 21, 2009, Cobb, Douglas and Paulding counties experienced heavy floods that killed ten people and damaged or destroyed 2,000 homes and businesses. The flood hit Austell the hardest, damaging or ruining 700 homes in that town alone. (More photos from the floods can be viewed at the Austell city website.) (Brant Sanderlin / AJC file)

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