July 28, 2026: Hail in Ellijay, Wind in Canton and an EF0 Tornado in Pickens County

On Tuesday night, July 28, 2026, a line of storms swept across the North Georgia mountains and into the metro. Radar estimated hail near 1.25 inches in Ellijay, hail near 0.75 inch with 50 mph wind in Canton and Holly Springs, and gusts near 60 mph over Mount Airy. In Pickens County, the National Weather Service confirmed a short-lived EF0 tornado. Here is what the record shows and what it means for your roof.

What happened on July 28

Radar-based swath data puts the largest hail, about 1.25 inches across, over Ellijay's 30540 zip, with hail near 0.75 inch in Ellijay's 30539 zip as well. In Cherokee County, the 30115 zip covering Canton and Holly Springs showed hail near 0.75 inch and wind near 50 mph. Half-inch hail reached Cumming (30028), Johns Creek and Duluth (30097) and Sandy Springs (30327). To the northeast, Habersham County took wind rather than hail, near 60 mph in Mount Airy (30563) and near 50 mph in Clarkesville (30523).

Keep in mind that swath numbers are radar estimates, useful for mapping a storm but not a measurement from your yard. National Weather Service reports are observations on the ground. For this storm, the NWS logged a tornado 4 miles east-northeast of Talking Rock in Pickens County. Its damage survey rated the tornado an EF0 with estimated peak winds of 80 mph, on a path just under 2 miles long that ended about 3 miles north of Jasper around 10:33 p.m. The survey found uprooted and snapped trees and no injuries. Emergency officials told FOX 5 Atlanta that more than 5,000 people lost power, and lightning struck Jasper's historic marble monument. Atlanta News First reported a washed-out highway in Gilmer County and more than 60,000 Georgia Power customers without power at the peak.

Communities in the path

The heaviest hail estimate fell on Ellijay (30540), with more hail in Ellijay's 30539. Canton and Holly Springs (30115) saw a combination of 0.75-inch hail and 50 mph wind. Mount Airy (30563) and Clarkesville (30523) took wind. Half-inch hail touched Cumming (30028), Johns Creek and Duluth (30097) and Sandy Springs (30327). In Pickens County, the tornado's path ran from northeast of Talking Rock toward the north side of Jasper. Homeowners in Ellijay and the surrounding Gilmer County hills should treat this one as a storm worth checking.

What this mix of hail, wind and tornado does to a roof

Hail near 1.25 inches is large enough to bruise asphalt shingles, knocking off the granules and cracking the mat underneath without leaving an obvious hole. On mountain homes with steep slopes and older roofs, that bruising is almost impossible to see from the ground, and many of those roofs are hard to see from the ground at all. Hail near 0.75 inch, like Canton and Holly Springs saw, is less likely to hurt newer shingles but can still damage older, brittle ones and dent soft metal.

Wind is a separate kind of damage. Gusts near 50 to 60 mph can break shingle seal strips and crease tabs, and a tornado, even a weak one, brings stronger gusts and falling limbs. Trees down near a house often mean impact damage to the roof deck, gutters and fascia. Our guide to wind damage versus hail damage explains how each one looks and how carriers scope it.

Beyond the roof, check for dented gutters and downspouts, torn window screens, cracked vinyl siding and flattened fins on the AC condenser. Those are also the clues that tell an inspector how hard your property was hit.

Claim support from start to finish

We begin with a free inspection and photograph every slope, every soft metal and anything a falling limb touched. If the damage is storm related, the licensed Property and Casualty adjuster on our staff documents and scopes the loss in the line-item format carriers use. When your carrier's adjuster comes out, we are on the roof with them, pointing to the evidence. Missed items and damage found during tear-off go back to the carrier as supplements. On replacement cost policies, we finish the paperwork that releases your recoverable depreciation. When the claim is approved, what you normally pay is your deductible. That is the core of our storm damage restoration process.

We will not promise an approval, because that decision belongs to your carrier under the terms of your policy. We also never waive or rebate a deductible. It is illegal in Georgia, and any roofer who offers it is telling you how they handle paperwork.

Why mountain and Cherokee County homeowners pick Robust Roofing

When neighbors in North Georgia compare notes on roofers, Robust Roofing comes up as the top recommendation, and no one in the region has a better reputation for storm work. The reason is fantastic work, and our customers say so in a 5.0 rating across 66 Google reviews. We are GAF certified, most replacements are done in a single day, and the labor is covered by a 50-year warranty. Every customer gets the RoofMap homeowner portal, where the job's status, photos and documents live in one place. Half of our profit goes to Gospel-centered ministries.

Why timing matters after July 28

Insurance policies expect prompt notice, and many put a deadline on storm claims measured from the date of loss, here July 28, 2026. The longer a bruised roof sits, the harder it is to separate storm damage from wear, and a leak that waits until winter can cost you the claim. Get the free inspection on the calendar now. If your roof is fine, you will have dated photos that prove it.

Call (470) 887-6637 or schedule a free inspection, and we will check your roof, gutters and the rest of the exterior for July 28 damage.

Zip codes in the swath

Radar-estimated hail size and wind speed by zip code. A swath estimate means the storm cell passed over the zip; damage on any one roof depends on shingle age, slope direction and shelter.

National Weather Service reports

Local storm reports are observed, not estimated, and they only exist where someone reported hail or wind damage. No report does not mean no hail.

What homeowners say

5.0 rating across 66 Google reviews. Read more reviews.

Quick answers

Local coverage of this storm

Cities in this storm